More Than Human
by Xavier2163
Summary: Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **The Prologue is from Charlie's POV. Otherwise, BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Mostly all human… at least there aren't any vampires in this story. Not an X-Men story, although there may be some comic book references. Enhanced humans and mutants exist with powers beyond the capabilities of normal people. Think Heroes, Stephen King's Firestarter Universe and the Movie world of Summit's Push movie.

There's no organized mutant underground, but individual groups of special people have banded together to try and live normal lives while government agents and Global Mega-corporations are hunting them to try and find out how they tick and how to turn them into living weapons.

Some of these groups are tired of running, and are starting to fight back.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 1 Prologue

CPOV (Charlie)

Another boring day in the Forks police department on a Thursday afternoon, I suppose the holiday had something to do with it. I was working on Thanksgiving so the married guys could take the day off with their wives and kids. It was a year since Mary had passed, and I didn't feel like being with people today. We'd never had any kids, so I was alone again in a big empty house. Billy had invited me to La Push, but I'd said no. Being around happy families was still just too hard.

The weather hadn't turned too cold yet for November and I was contemplating if I'd be able to go fishing this Saturday. The weather stayed pretty much the same year round, dropping enough degrees in winter to be cold out. We might have two or three days with a dusting of snow that wouldn't stick and some black ice late at night and in the morning, but overcast and rain were the general order of the day pretty much year round. Besides, the cold never seemed to bother me anyways. I always seemed to manage to stay warm, regardless of the elements. Mary had always commented that my hands were always so hot…

The winter steelhead run should be starting soon as the wild fish returned from the ocean to swim up river to spawn. Some of those wild fish were huge and they put up an incredible fight. If nothing else, there were still plenty of hatchery steely's in the rivers, and they were big enough to make good eating. I'd call Billy later and see if he wanted to go fishing Saturday. We could Shanghai Harry and drag him out of the house before Sue got up. I'd pick up a couple of twelve packs of vitamin R, and we could make a day of it…

I was sitting going through the mail that had been delivered the previous day. Usually it was just bills and junk mail. Sometimes we got notices from the state or county, but nothing too pressing. I'd told the guys to leave it for me so I'd have something to do today. I noticed a FedEx overnight delivery envelope that had a bulge like there something inside. I wondered if one of the guys had ordered something and had it delivered here. I picked it up to look at it, but it was addressed to me.

I tore the package open, and there was a cell phone inside. The cheap disposable prepaid kind of phone you could buy in a truck stop gas station or a convenience store. My peaceful contemplation of a weekend fishing trip was shattered by the phone from the envelope suddenly ringing. I stared at it for a minute and then pressed the button on the handset to accept the call. The worst I had been expecting today was maybe a traffic call for a fender bender with all the people traveling to visit family, but this was like something from the twilight zone.

"Fork's Police Department, Chief Swan speaking," I said into the phone.

"_Charlie? It's Renee… It's about time you opened the damn package. I was hoping to talk to you yesterday…_" The woman sounded out of breath like she'd been running. She sounded like she knew me, but I wasn't familiar with any Renee.

"Is there an emergency, Ma'am? How can I help you?" I asked, but I felt weird talking into a cell phone I'd just been delivered in the mail.

"_I guess you wouldn't remember me after all these years… You knew me as Renee Higginbotham. We dated in college at WSU?_"

That Renee… Suddenly it all came back to me like yesterday.

Yes, we had dated in college. It was my sophomore year and we'd gone out together for eight or nine months. I'd thought we'd shared something special back then. I'd told her I loved her and I thought we'd end up getting married if we stayed together through school.

We were living together that summer, sharing an apartment off campus, and then she up and left. No explanation, no goodbyes. One day everything was fine, and we were in love. The next day she was gone with a hastily written note left on the kitchen counter as the only explanation. All her stuff was gone and I had no idea what I'd done wrong.

I searched for her for weeks, but nobody had the first clue where she'd disappeared to. I had to assume she'd left the state. I remembered she said she had family in California, but I had no way to contact them. After months of dead ends and fruitless searching I'd given up and went on with my life. I hadn't heard word one from her in seventeen years, and now she was calling me out of the blue. She was still taking steps so she couldn't be traced.

"Hello, Renee. I remember… It's good to hear from you. Happy Thanksgiving…"

"_I'm sorry I can't go into all the details, but I didn't just walk out on you all those years ago, Charlie…_"

"It seemed like it to me. You went to an awful lot of trouble not to be found. It was like you dropped off the face of the earth, Renee. You could have just told me to leave you alone and I would have understood…"

"_I didn't walk out on you! I was kidnapped! I loved you! I wouldn't just leave you!_"

"What?! What do you mean kidnapped? By who? How did you get away? Why didn't you call me before now? It's been seventeen years, Renee."

"_Do you remember that drug test we signed up for? That study that those doctors were doing to test some new performance enhancing drug?_"

"Sure… That's where we met. I thought it was easy money and there were even odds I'd get nothing but distilled water. I was hoping it worked so it would make it easier to study or something. I guess I got water. Nothing ever happened to me. What has that got to do with you getting kidnapped?"

"_It wasn't water, Charlie. About two thirds of the kids they gave it to showed no noticeable effect. Most of the other third they tested it on died, but they hushed it up. It worked on the rest of us. Some of us could do things after they gave us the drug. Weird shit like read minds or move objects…_"

"Ok, but why did they kidnap you? I don't understand…"

"_I was pregnant, Charlie. I went to the clinic on campus to get tested and the result came back positive. There were men in black suits waiting for me when I got back to the apartment. They shoved me in a car and took me away. I guess they made it look like I walked out on you…_"

"Oh my god! What about the baby?"

"_We have a daughter, Charlie. They took me away to study me. They wanted the baby to study her...to see what she could do. They kept us in some secret research lab for two years…_"

"I have a daughter? What's her name? Why didn't you call me before if they let you go?"

"_They didn't let me go! I escaped, and took Isabel with me…_"

"Isabel? You named her after my mom, Isabella?"

"_Yes, both our moms, Isabella Marie. Look, Charlie, I don't have much time…_"

I could hear running in the background, and then it sounded like Renee was running again too.

She was out of breath when she spoke again. "_We've been hiding from them for the last fifteen years. I was on the run for the first couple of years, but I gave them the slip and we lived a normal life for a long time. By the time I was free to look for you, you were married, so I didn't drag you into it._"

"I'm sorry, Renee… I would have helped you. Are you alright? Where are you now? What can I do to help?"

"_You can't help me anymore. They found us, and now they're just tying up loose ends. I put Isabel on a bus and got them to chase me. I led them away to keep our daughter safe. If everything went according to plan, she'll be at the Greyhound station in Port Angeles tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. I put everything I know about them in that envelope. Keep her safe, Charlie. You're all she's got now. I always loved you…_"

There was a muted clatter like she'd dropped the phone and it had hit the ground.

"Renee! Renee! What's going on! Where are you?!"

The sound of gunfire filled the speaker in the handset. It was close by the phone, and I had to assume it was Renée shooting. More muted shots rang out, and then a woman screamed. There was a thud like a body hitting the ground.

"Renee! Renee! Are you alright?!"

It was silent for several minutes, and then I heard another woman speak in the background. "_Goddamn It, James! I told you they wanted her alive! Now how are we going to find the girl?!_"

A man's voice spoke next. "_They wouldn't have sent me if they wanted her alive, Vic. I wasn't going to take a chance on the bitch getting into my head again. Don't worry, I'll find the girl, and then she'll get what mom got. Course maybe we can have a little fun first…_"

"_You're a sick pervert, James. Laurent would have blocked her ability, and then we could have questioned her…_"

"_I don't need to question her... Looky here…_" There was a scrabbling sound like he'd bent over to pick up the phone. His voice was louder. "_She was making a call. It's still connected. They're probably still listening to us right now._"

"_Can you track it?_"

"_Give me a second… West coast… Pacific Northwest…_"

I hit the end button to kill the connection before he told her the name of the town. Hopefully he didn't figure that much out before I ended the call.

My god! I had a daughter… And she was in danger! I believed Renee. I couldn't imagine her lying about something like this.

I picked up the FedEx envelope. It was mailed from somewhere in Texas… Renee had said she'd put everything she knew about them into the envelope…

There was a folded manila envelope inside, but it didn't look like there was anything else was in it. I took out the manila envelope, and then spread the bigger cardboard FedEx envelope open and turned it upside down… Something small and silver dropped out of the envelope and landed on my desk. It was a flash drive memory stick for a computer with a post it note stuck to the side.

The note said, 'Do not plug this into a computer connected to the internet'.

I stuck the flash drive in my pocket, and then opened the manila envelope. There was an official looking notarized document inside. I took it out. It was a birth certificate for Isabella Marie Swan, born September 13, 1989. It listed me as her father, and Renee Higginbotham as her mother, but it said she was born in Phoenix, Arizona.

I double checked the manila envelope and found a photograph inside. It was dated march 2004. I recognized Renee in the photograph. She'd matured and had cut her hair, but she still looked like the girl I remembered from college. She was standing in front of a small house with a brown lawn and cactus growing in the garden. She had her arm around a teenage girl that had to be our daughter from the resemblance. She was a couple of inches shorter than her mother, but had the long hair I remembered from Renee's college years. I could see myself in her features and she had my brown hair, although it was straight like her mother's instead of curly like mine. Her eyes looked odd, but I couldn't pick out what it was from the photo. She was about fifteen in the picture if this was a couple of years old.

I got up to close up the station and head home. I didn't even really need to be here today. The police emergency number had call forwarding, and it would ring at home or to my cell phone depending on where I told the system to direct the calls. I packed up the papers and went home to look at the data on the flash drive.

~*`MTH`*~

The computer acted funny when I plugged in the memory stick. I was pretty sure it ran a security check, and then installed some kind of firewall security program before I could access the data on the flash drive. There was a lot of data. Tons of PDF's, official looking government records, operations reports, field agent reports, wiretap data, sealed congressional sub-committee briefs, I was sure a lot of this was probably classified data. I could probably go to jail or disappear just for knowing half of this even existed.

Apparently Renee and her friends had been able to play hell with The Shop's computer records and servers when they escaped. The account of what had happened made it sound more like a war zone than a simple escape attempt. The entire facility had burned to the ground, and all of their physical records had been destroyed. Dozens of 'research subjects' had fled into the night. Less than half were ever accounted for.

Renee was fairly certain that The Shop thought I was dead. Besides, they had another name in their records for Isabel's father. The name Charlie Swan didn't appear in their records anymore, so there was no reason to associate me with Renee's daughter. Renee was never my wife and Isabel had been using a different last name for years now. She didn't even know I was really her father. She had grown up thinking Renee's husband was her real dad.

Renee had married Phil Dwyer, but he was dead now. They'd killed him when they came for Renee, but she'd escaped with Isabel again. The official report of the incident was strange… It was like most of the agents had shot each other instead of trying to capture Renee. The rest… It was like they were literally torn apart… like they had exploded from the inside out...

This organization, The Shop, was a shady operation, to put it mildly. It operated on the fringes of the government and wasn't officially sanctioned, although it had apparently started as a CIA black operations project back in the fifties or sixties. They had begun with practical experiments based on data liberated from the Nazi's at the end of World War II. Hitler's scientists had been trying to create a genetically enhanced super soldier and had stumbled onto crude methods of triggering genetic mutation with startling effects. Of course the Nazi's had no qualms about performing tests on human subjects or dissecting them as part of the experiment to determine exactly what had happened. Apparently neither did The Shop.

The Shop received almost as much funding and mission directives from the research divisions of half a dozen global multi-national mega-corporations as it did from the government. It was still considered a division of the CIA, but it was so far out on the fringe that it was practically a private black ops group that received little or no official notice despite being funded, supported and sanctioned by the government. It had almost no official government oversight or reporting responsibility, but had the full backing of the CIA, the NSA and the DoD. It was so far out on the fringe, half of Washington and most of the current administration probably didn't even know they existed, but it could wield the full power of the government bureaucracy in the name of defending National Security.

Nothing it did was a matter of public record but it could call on support from government agencies like the FBI all the way up to the military and expect to get it. Hell, if these jokers had walked into the station in Forks and flashed a fancy badge at me, I probably would have accepted their lies and helped them before I'd read all of this. I'm sure I would have been skeptical if they told me it was a matter of national security, but I wouldn't have refused to help.

There were more enhanced humans than the clandestine study programs The Shop had run in the seventies and eighties could account for. They had always known there were naturally occurring mutants out there. They formed the basis of the original research, but nobody had guessed how many there really were until the Divisions started looking for them to catalog and classify them. A lot of otherwise innocent Americans had been detained against their wills for study and containment by paranoid government agencies that feared their power.

The Shop practically had carte blanche to deal with the perceived enhanced humans, mutants and individuals identified with paranormal powers threat, but they had done a lot to generate that threat in the first place. The way they treated these people forced them to do most of the things they claimed were a threat to national security. It was like there was a secret war going on that most people never heard about. Anything that might hit the media was covered up and there was an active campaign of disinformation to discount, hide and discredit anything that made it onto the internet. They were burying the truth along with the innocent casualties and collateral damage.

This organization, The Shop, made it their business to discover how these powers worked, but it had gone beyond that in recent years. The study I had been a part of was one of dozens where they'd tried to cause people to develop these special abilities. They had planned to bring in any of the test subjects that exhibited powers to study them, like how they'd taken Renee. Some of the subjects had proven too powerful for them to contain, and now they were trying to hunt down these people with the apparent intention of studying them like lab rats. Some of them they just wanted to eliminate before the secret got out about what they'd done.

As if this wasn't bad enough, other world powers had similar Divisions that tracked, hunted, and studied these people. It was like the cold war all over again, but instead of nuclear weapons the new weapons of choice were the powers that these groups of special individuals exhibited.

I studied the information and documents, and then made plans and phone calls. It was a holiday weekend, but I had a lot of friends and I called in a lot of favors. I might be a small town cop, but I'd been a small town cop for a long time and I knew a lot of people. I would keep my Isabel safe.

~*`MTH`*~

It was an hour and a half drive up to Port Angeles, but I left early. I didn't want Isabel to think she was on her own and just wander off because nobody showed up to meet her. The bus still got there early. I had the website for arrivals and departures up on the laptop screen in the squad car and I saw the status change as I pulled off the highway into Port Angeles.

I hadn't been to the Greyhound station before, but I had the address programmed into the navigation system in the cruiser and it told me how to get there. At least it wasn't raining, although there was a light drizzle and the temperature was definitely falling as we moved closer to December. I could feel winter in the air.

The bus had arrived about twenty minutes ago when I pulled into the parking lot. I saw the girl standing on the sidewalk in front of the station under the overhang of the roof. She looked older than seventeen. I had a sudden sense of déjà vu as I looked at her. It was like looking at Renee standing there waiting for me to pick her up, not her daughter.

She looked just like her mother, standing there with her long brown hair loose and blowing in the light breeze, but there were subtle differences. Renee's hair had been a lighter golden brown…

She was smoking a cigarette, holding it between her fingertips the same way Renee used to, standing beside a large black canvas duffel bag that lay on the ground. She looked up as I pulled up to the curb and parked. Her eyes flicked to the marking on the door of the car, registering the City of Forks Police badge and legend.

I got out of the police cruiser and walked up to her, looking her over with a practiced eye, noting the details I'd need to make an accurate description.

She was very fair-skinned, almost too pale white, which seemed odd for somebody that had lived in the valley of the sun in Arizona for so long. Her heart shaped face with her wide-spaced eyes and narrow jaw with a pointed chin reminded me so much of her mother. She had prominent cheekbones, a thin straight nose and full lips. Perhaps the lips were a little out of proportion, a bit too full for her jaw line. Her eyebrows were darker than her hair and more straight than they were arched.

Now I finally noticed what was so odd about her eyes as I stood in front of her. One was deep brown like mine, but her left eye was pale hazel green like her mother's. It looked like she was wearing colored contacts but had forgotten to put one in.

She was petite and delicate, but not tiny, standing about five foot four inches tall. She was delicately slender on a fine boned frame. She looked like she'd weigh about 105 pounds dripping wet but she had mature feminine curves in all the right places. She did not appear at all muscular, even though I could tell from the way she held herself that the reports I'd read in Renee's files were likely true. The strong smooth muscles that moved under her skin were deceptively more powerful than any ordinary human.

She was wearing several thin silver bangle bracelets on her wrists, a collection of rings, large hoop earrings and a medium sized silver cross on a leather thong around her neck for jewelry, but she only wore very light makeup. Nothing gaudy or over the top, but I could see some lip gloss to accentuate her lips with a bit of shine instead of lipstick and some eyeliner and color. I was sure there was more I wasn't seeing, but she didn't look like she spent a lot of time primping and preening, although she didn't ignore makeup and let it go altogether.

I knew she didn't have any tattoos or piercings besides her ears anywhere on her body if the files were still accurate.

She wore a three quarter length black leather coat that hung to her hips and was belted around the waist. She had a large purse slung over her shoulder on a strap. If the reports were accurate, she'd have a concealed weapon in the purse, and she knew how to use it.

My policeman's training noted the pertinent characteristics of her figure as I cataloged the information. Details were necessary to give an accurate description and I needed to know they matched Renee's records. She wasn't flat chested… I estimated a thirty-two or so, although the cup size wasn't apparent under her coat. Her stomach appeared to be completely flat with what at my best guess was about a twenty-two inch waist. Her legs were perfectly proportioned for the rest of her body, flaring to what I was guessing at thirty-one inches at her hips.

She was wearing jeans that had seen better days but they hugged her body like a second skin. There were large holes exposing both knees and they were frayed around the cuffs at the bottoms of the legs. They were patched and mended, but I didn't think she wore them as a fashion statement. Her sneakers looked worn out. The soles were practically worn through and looked oddly half melted where the wear wasn't obviously apparent. The laces were knotted in more than one place where they'd broken, and had been tied back together rather than replacing them.

My general impression of her attire and condition was somebody on the run and down on their luck, almost destitute as they made do with what they had. But she had spirit. She wasn't beaten down by her circumstances and appeared independent and doing whatever she had to do until things got better.

Things would be better for her now. I'd have to take her shopping and buy her some clothes. People would talk if she was seen around town dressed like a waif or homeless person. I had seventeen years of fatherhood to catch up on. I hope she wouldn't mind being spoiled for a while.

"Hi, Isabel…" I said to her. "You look like your mother…"

She nodded. "I hear that a lot… You're Charlie? I don't want to be rude, but do you have some ID?"

She seemed a little leery as I reached into my jacket and took out my badge and showed her my official ID. She looked it over carefully and studied my face as she compared it to the photograph on the ID.

She nodded and took a deep breath, and then held out her hand. "So you're Charlie Swan… Renee told me the truth last week when she came up with this plan. I hope you don't mind me staying with you for a while until I can meet up with her…"

"No… I don't mind. You know, those things will kill you." I said, indicating her cigarette.

She dropped the butt on the sidewalk and stubbed it out with her toe. "I have bigger concerns. I'll probably die from acute lead poisoning before these kill me. Besides, I heal fast. I doubt they affect me like normal people."

I nodded I wasn't going to make it an issue. She was old enough to know better, and I wasn't going to let something like smoking drive a wedge between us when I just finally got to meet her. Besides, she was right… She had a better chance of a bullet taking her out of the game than lung cancer.

"Ok… Isabel… Let's get out of here. There are some things you need to know…"

"Ok," she said, as I opened the trunk for her and she put her duffel inside. We walked to the passenger door and I held it while she got in. I went to the driver door, got into the cruiser and pulled away from the curb so we could talk as I drove.

"I'm sorry if I seem a little apprehensive… It seems odd to be voluntarily getting into a police car. Usually we avoid them. The cops are usually chasing us…"

"They were lied to, and didn't know any better. Renee sent me some records and files. I know you aren't a criminal. You've done what you had to do to defend yourself…"

"Oh… You're better informed than I expected… I didn't think Renee would have told you that much. I'll try not to cause any trouble before I leave…"

"Isabel… You know about me and your mother, right?"

"She told me. You're my real father… My biological father, but you have to know I still consider Phil to be my dad… I'm sorry, Charlie, but I grew up thinking of him as dad…"

"I understand… I didn't know you even existed until yesterday…"

"Thanks for letting me stay, Charlie. I promise, I won't be any trouble until Renee calls and I leave to meet her…"

"Isabel… There's something I need to tell you… Your mother… She called me yesterday… Renee isn't going to call, Isabel. You aren't going to leave to meet up with her..."

"What! But she said..."

"I think the agents from The Shop caught up with her yesterday. I overheard the firefight on the phone while we were talking. I'm pretty sure she's dead… I'm sorry, Isabel..."

"Oh…" She didn't get hysterical or break down in tears, but I could tell the news hit her pretty hard.

"You'll be staying with me from now on. I'll take care of you for as long as you want to stay. I have papers for you… I called in some favors from some old friends."

"Ok… What's my story? Who am I now…?"

"You're my daughter. You're, Bella Swan now. It fits with the birth certificate Renee provided for you. You've lived with your mom in Phoenix since you were a baby, but now you've coming to live with me. I'll let you fill in the details for why."

"Ok…"

"Renee led them away so you could escape, Bella. As far as I can tell, the trail is cold. You can live a normal life again, like you did before they caught up to you guys two years ago… I've got you enrolled in high school, you can handle that right? We had to fabricate a transcript for you…"

"Yeah, I can do high school… Genius level intellect is part of the package…"

"Huh, maybe those performance enhancers did work after all, only not for my generation. I'm glad somebody got some benefit out of it."

"Charlie… They're going to come for us… We can pretend to be normal for a while, but they won't let me go… I'm too dangerous for them not to do something…"

"I know… We'll deal with it when the time comes…"

Bella nodded. "Ok… I don't want to have to kill anyone else… I hate that I can… I don't want any more blood on my hands… But I won't go down without a fight."

The ride was quiet after that. I glanced over to look at her to see how she was holding up. She sat stoically staring straight ahead, but I could see the tracks of her tears as they silently ran down her cheeks.

**Author's note:**

I remember reading an article or interview with Stephanie Meyer, once where she said she thought of the characters in the Twilight Universe as superheros, each with their own kind of unique superpowers.

That's kind of what I'm trying to explore in this story. Only this isn't a comic book and powerful abilities have real world affects and consequences.

There aren't any vampires in this story, and the major players are essentially human, but they may still have unique abilities and powers that make them more than human. Many characters may have powers similar to what they could do in canon Twilight. Some characters will have different or expanded abilities than characters of the same name in canon Twilight.

Please don't assume that just because a character in this story has the same name as a canon character that they're going to be able to do the same things as that character or have the same limitations.

Some of the characters in this story may appear to act in ways that seem to be OOC (Out Of Character), and I take full responsibility for that, but considering the different life experience some of the characters have had as a result to the change in the basic premise of the story and some of the changes to powers and abilities, I've had to explore how I believe the character would react, given the circumstances of this story. Some of the characters may do things that you think are wildly OOC. That's my take on their reaction to the circumstances. All I can say is I look forward to reading your story if you think they would have done it differently.

I know you're probably thinking, why are you starting another story? It just kind of worked that way. Actually, I think I started writing this last thanksgiving, and I've spent many months off and on working on this when I probably should have been working on other stories. I wanted to post something, and I've sort of had major writers block on the next chapter of 'The Darkest Part of the Night', so I decided to start putting this up.

If you have an opinion about which story you think I should be spending time on, I have a poll in my profile. I think it's gotten like 6 votes in the last two months, and it was an even split on whether or not I should post the new material or not.

Have a happy thanksgiving, if you celebrate the holiday.


	2. New Town

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 2 New Town

BPOV (Bella)

The ride to Forks from the bus station in Port Angeles was tough. I wanted to scream or cry and tell him it wasn't true, but I knew it was. It was exactly the kind of crazy stunt Renee would pull.

James and Victoria were bad enough by themselves, but Laurent just gave me the creeps. He didn't have to speak, and usually he didn't, but his simple presence negated all of our abilities and blanked them out. I was dangerous enough that The Shop just wanted me dead. They didn't care about trying to capture me to study me anymore. It was past that point. They knew they'd never be able to control my power, but all Laurent had to do was walk into the room, and I was just as vulnerable to bullets as anyone else.

Renee was pretty good with a gun, but she was still no match for a squad of trained agents without her powers.

She was dead and I was all alone now.

Well, maybe not all alone. I still had Charlie.

I had to admit I was completely shocked and flabbergasted a week ago when Renee had told me Phil wasn't really my father. I had mourned him when he died, but we'd been too busy running for our lives to bury him. I hadn't even gotten to go to his funeral. We were in another state dodging the cops while his family buried him and The Shop fed them bullshit stories about how we had killed him for insurance money.

I had loved Phil. I still did and I thought of his face when I thought of dad, but the story Renee had told me made sense to me. I knew it was true in my bones. When you got right down to it, I didn't look anything at all like Phil. I had always just assumed I was my mother's daughter, but when I looked at the pictures of Charlie that Renee had showed me I could see the family resemblance.

Somehow I had known that eventually Renee would tell me a story like this. How she had had a fling and I was her love child from an affair, or how she was an unwed mother and had met Phil while I was a baby and too little to remember the details.

That was really kind of what had happened, except that she would have probably married Charlie if she hadn't been taken away by The Shop when she was pregnant with me. She managed to escape with me when the Virginia facility was destroyed. There were more mature examples of people being studied there that could do things like me, and they had nuked the place into a glassy crater in the ground before they walked away that night. Renee had grabbed me and run at the first opportunity, but it was all pretty vague to me now. I was just a little kid when it happened. I knew I had helped us escape and I had kept us alive when the facility was destroyed. I shouldn't even have any memories of it, but I did. That was just how my mind worked.

I recognized Charlie the minute he got out of his police cruiser. He stood about six feet tall with an average build, standing in front of me in his police uniform. I knew he was thirty-seven years old, but he was muscular and in good physical shape for his age. He didn't look like he worked out, but rather led an active lifestyle, spending a lot of time outdoors hiking, fishing and hunting according to Renee. She had kept tabs on him over the years even if she didn't contact him. He had curly brown hair and a mustache, chocolate brown eyes that matched one of mine, and I knew I had inherited it from him. He looked like my father, and I knew he was.

Charlie drove us to the tiny town of Forks, Washington, population 3,532 souls. It was the only city with any kind of commercial enterprise for seventy-five miles in either direction on the western side of the Olympic peninsula, unless you counted the general store in La Push out on the coast. It seemed like the perfect place to disappear and start over again. Renee had made the ultimate sacrifice to give me this chance. I knew I had to try for her sake.

I dried my eyes, wiped the tears off my cheeks and sat up to get a look at my new home as we crossed the bridge on the north side of town and drove into the city. Charlie drove into the center of town down Forks Avenue before he turned off the highway into the residential neighborhoods. Forks was a bigger city for the population than I had expected. There were several restaurants and a half a dozen hotels along with two banks, two or three gas stations, gift shops, art galleries and at least three specialty coffee shops or espresso bars. I'd seen the sign for a good sized supermarket, and there was a big sporting goods store in the same parking lot further south before we turned.

"Forks seems to have an awful lot of business for such a small town, Charlie. The sign said the population was about 3500 people, how do they support this much business?"

"A lot of the economy is based on tourism, and the local businesses cater to the tourist industry."

"Oh…" That made sense, but could be bad or good depending on the circumstances. It meant there was a lot of transient population moving through the area, lots of new faces all the time. I could blend in, but it also meant hunters would be less obvious if they were disguised as tourists passing through.

"So what kind of tourists do you get out here? It seems pretty far from civilization…"

"Hikers and campers make up a lot of the tourist trade. This is about as far from civilization as you can get and still drive. They come here and then hit the trails into the forests. Some come to visit the Hoh Rainforest. Some come to visit the rugged coastline and Pacific Northwest beaches. A lot of fishermen and hunters use this as a base camp and charter flights to get out into the wilderness. Between the airport in town, and the bigger airport the city manages west of town, there are almost 20,000 flight operations a year. Almost all of those are small bush planes ferrying hunters and fishermen back and forth out where they need to go."

"Almost all?"

"Well, some of the people in town have private planes to fly into Seattle or Portland instead of driving. I suppose it make sense instead of driving four or five hours, but I never had the kind of money it takes to own my own airplane. There's even a half a dozen private helicopters and a handful of private jets. Got nothing against them mind you… I've been up with some of the bush pilots to go fishing before. It's kind of fun in a scary sort of way."

"You said you never owned a plane of your own... Do you know how to fly an airplane?"

Charlie shrugged. "It's something you pick up out here. I can fly a small plane. I've got a license, but it's not something I do on any sort of regular basis. I get enough hours to stay current, but I usually hire a pilot if I have to go someplace in the back country for work."

Charlie drove us into an older neighborhood in the southwest part of town. He pulled up in front of an older small white two story house. There was a blue Chevy S-10 pickup parked in the driveway, and a small boat on a trailer covered with a tarp was parked in the side yard. I didn't see another car parked anywhere unless it was in the garage.

I hadn't said anything on the ride to Forks, but Renee had told me Charlie was married. That had been why Renee had never contacted him before now. That and the fact that she didn't want to drag him into the craziness of our lives. It didn't look like anyone else was home right now, but it was early on Friday afternoon. She was probably at work.

"Umm… Charlie… Renee said you were married… Is your wife going to be cool with your teenaged daughter suddenly turning up out of the blue after all these years? What did you tell her? Umm… Do I have any brothers or sisters?"

"Mary passed away last year. We never had and kids… We tried… but she kept miscarrying. None of them ever lived long enough to be born… You're my only child."

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have said anything…"

"It's ok. You didn't know. I guess I should have said something… You probably have a lot of questions."

"Umm… yeah, but they can wait."

"Ok, c'mon, let's go inside and I'll show you your room."

We got out of the car and got my duffel bag out of the trunk. Charlie led me up onto the porch and stopped. He reached into his pocket, took out a key and handed it to me.

"I used to just leave the house unlocked and kept a key up on the eave of the porch, but I don't think that'll work anymore. Welcome home, Bella. You're always welcome here for as long as you want to stay. I hope you'll come to think of this as your home."

It felt funny to have him call me Bella instead of Isabel, but I was cool with it. Renee had called me Isabel for as long as I could remember, but my Gram Marie in California had called me Bella when we stayed with her. Phil had called me Bell for a nickname for years and even Renee had taken to using it sometimes after a while, so Bella wasn't too strange for me to answer to.

I'd been Izzy to the kids at school for as long as I could remember, and I hated that nickname. I was more than willing to be Bella here, if it meant I didn't have to Izzy anymore.

I didn't know what to say about the key. Charlie was sure rolling out the red carpet. He'd only learned I even existed the day before, and he was welcoming me into his home with no strings attached…at least so far. I trusted him… He was my father…, but I wasn't used to people being good to me without wanting something in return. I'd take this one day at a time and play it by ear.

For now, I reached down and unlocked the door and pushed it open.

I glanced up at Charlie, and he indicated I should go in. I walked into the house.

I was homey and warm. There was a small foyer with a coat closet. A stairway led upstairs and an open doorway beyond it led into the kitchen. The living room was on the right, and it looked like there was a study or family room on the left.

I could see a woman's touch in the decoration and choice of furniture. It looked like mostly antique cherry for the buffet, china cabinet, side tables, letter desk and incidental pieces. The seating group in the living room was a pale green sofa and loveseat. A brown leather easy boy recliner looked like it had been added more recently. There was a forty-two inch flatscreen TV on a low entertainment center against the wall and a fireplace on the other side of the room.

The place was neat and tidy. It didn't look like a bachelor pad. There were no dirty dishes in the sink or stacks of pizza boxes. No shoes lying around or dirty clothes or jackets hung on doorknobs. The tables were clear without stacks of mail or things that had been set down and forgotten about. Either Charlie was the biggest neat freak since Felix Unger, or he had his own reasons for keeping the house immaculately clean and neat.

I could deal with neat. I liked things neat and tidy and orderly given my druthers. Messes bugged me, and my constant cleaning had driven Renee nuts. Maybe it was something else I had inherited from Charlie.

"C'mon," Charlie said as he stepped past me and moved to the stairs. "I'll show you your room."

I followed Charlie up the stairs and he stopped by the first door.

"Mary had this done up as a nursery after we got married, but we turned it into a guest room once we realized we'd never need a nursery. The bathroom is down the hall, and my room is all the way at the end. There's a linen closet next to the bathroom, if you need towels, another blanket or clean sheets."

"Just one bathroom…" That was ok. I'd lived in enough places in the last two years that had no bathroom that the idea of a hot shower, or better yet a bubble bath, sounded like heaven.

"Yeah… We'll have to share…"

"No, I'm cool with that. Is there a tub or just a shower?"

"Both… Shower in the tub."

I sighed and practically shivered with delight. Charlie smiled and pushed open the bedroom door.

I walked into the room and set my duffel bag and purse on the bed. Charlie didn't follow me in, but stood in the doorway.

The room was nice. It was painted light blue. There was a double bed against the wall with a purple comforter, a purple and white lace bed skirt and some purple and white throw pillows. A nightstand with a couple of drawers stood next to it and a CD clock radio was on top of the night stand. There was a dresser next to the door and a closet in the corner.

A bay window looked out on the view of the yard and the forest beyond. An old rocking chair sat in front of the window, and there was a small table with a lamp where you could curl up with a book and read.

A sturdy looking desk occupied the other corner next to the window. There was a laptop computer sitting on the desk and a rolling office chair in front on a plastic mat on the floor. A vanity with a mirror was against the wall next to the closet with a red velvet upholstered bench in front of it.

"I hope you like purple. The lady at the store picked everything out."

"Purples cool…"

"Do you have a computer?"

"No…"

"Go ahead and use the laptop. It's yours. Setup whatever passwords you want. There's a wireless router downstairs in the study and the security code is already setup so you have internet access. Here…"

I turned to look at Charlie, and he was holding out another key. I reached out and took it from him.

"What's this?" I asked.

"The key to the lock on your bedroom door…"

I glanced at the door and noticed the solid looking deadbolt on the bedroom door. It had a knob to throw the bolt from the inside, or you could use the key to lock or unlock it from the outside. I looked back at Charlie and met his eyes.

"I just want you to feel safe, Bella. This is your home now."

"Why are you being so nice to me? I don't understand… I was only planning on staying for a few weeks at most before… I get it, you're my father, but you don't know me… You don't know what I've done…"

"I know… Renee sent me all her files, so I know most of it, Bella... All my adult life I dreamed about having kids and being a father. Mary and I tried, but it wasn't meant to be. Then I found out about you…"

I looked at Charlie's eyes. I could see the pain there when he talked about his dead wife, but there was something else. I knew Phil and Renee had loved me, but it was an easy love that you get used to over the years and take for granted being part of a family. I knew Charlie loved me unconditionally too and would do anything for me. It was the love of a father for his daughter and I could feel it in that moment as I looked into his eyes. It affected me and hit me pretty hard… This man that I had never even known existed a week ago would do anything for me, sacrifice anything, protect me and care for me and keep me safe.

I knew I would do the same thing for him… He was my father.

"I would have been there for you, Bella, if I'd known," Charlie continued. "I know I can't make up for seventeen years overnight, but I want to be your father. I want to be there for you, and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. They've got to go through me before they harm one hair on your head."

"Thanks, Charlie…"

"Go ahead and get settled in. Come downstairs when you're ready. We need to talk about how this is going to work. I'm not sure how Renee handled things, but we can discuss some ground rules and go from there."

I nodded and Charlie closed the door as he stepped away.

It didn't take me long to unpack and settle in. My wardrobe was pathetically meager with a couple of pair of pants, some cutoffs and shorts and a handful t-shirts and tank tops. The pants I was wearing were the best of the lot. I had a few changes of underwear, two bras and a couple of pair of socks. It easily fit into a couple of drawers in the dresser with plenty of room to spare. I didn't have anything to hang in the closet. My only other pair of shoes was a pair of flat sandals so I set them in the closet.

All of my makeup supplies were in my purse, but I lightened the load, moving everything that wasn't essential to the vanity.

There were a couple of essential items of gear, my favorite books and a few mementos, knickknacks and some personal hygiene items in my duffel that I set around the room.

Of course the fire extinguisher went on the nightstand behind the clock radio. I'd gotten better as I grew older and hardly ever set fires while I was sleeping now, but sometimes if I had nightmares it still happened. That was a definite possibility tonight.

I did a quick sweep of the room with the Geiger counter. The background radiation was above normal in the room with elevated gamma levels. I did a sweep of my body, but I got normal emission levels from me. My clothes would read high to anyone else doing the test, but I knew what was normal for me. My shield was intact and I wasn't throwing out any heightened levels of microwave or gamma radiation. I'd read normal to anyone doing a random scan. There had to be another source nearby, but I wasn't sure where yet. I set the Geiger counter on the desk next to the laptop.

The books went onto a shelf over the desk, and the picture of me, Renee and Phil went on my nightstand. I stared at it, but I wasn't going to break down and get hysterical now. That could wait until tonight after I went to bed. I'd save my tears for the privacy of the night.

I took the pistol out of my purse and ejected the magazine and checked it. The gun seriously needed to be field stripped and cleaned, but it was mostly for show anyhow. I was more dangerous than the pistol, but nobody that saw me would be afraid of me until it was too late for them. People knew a gun was supposed to be dangerous, so it made a good prop when I needed to try and intimidate somebody.

It had proved surprisingly useful these last couple of months, though. There was no telling when James and Victoria would show up with Laurent in tow, and then my powers were screwed and we'd have to fight it out like normal people.

I was surprised I was such a good shot, but I guess aiming was aiming when you got right down to it, and pistol combat was all about line of sight. I knew a lot of The Shop's agents had been surprised too. They found out the hard way, right before they died.

I stuffed the pistol under my pillow on the bed and put the spare magazines and boxes of ammo in the drawers in the nightstand.

The room was as done as it was going to get for now. I took off my jacket and kicked off my sneakers, and then went to the vanity. I stripped off my jewelry and set it on the vanity and then grabbed the mesh bag with what toiletries I owned. There was a hair brush, toothpaste and toothbrush, deodorant, and a razor with swiveling disposable blades. I still had two new blade inserts left, and it was high time I used one.

I figured Charlie would have shampoo and soap. If I was lucky, he'd have shaving gel too, although I wasn't holding out much hope for baby oil or conditioner.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the bathroom. There was a supply of scented bath oil and bubble bath. There were both shaving gel and foam, and some nice strawberry shampoo and conditioner. He did have baby oil. I took my time cleaning up and did a through job of making myself feel human and pretty again.

I felt a little guilty borrowing Charlie's mustache scissors to get everything neatly trimmed and tidy down below, but I cleaned them thoroughly before I put them away, and shaved everywhere else. Waxing would last longer, but it had been years since I'd been to a spa with Renée. Shaving would work for now. Renee had taught me how to take care of my feminine needs, and we kept up as best we were able while running for our lives.

There was a mesh hamper in the corner of the bathroom, and I stuffed all of my clothes into it. I'd been on the road for a week, and we hadn't had access to bathing facilities more elaborate than a convenience store restroom for the week before that. I soaked in the tub and washed my hair and conditioned it. I brushed my teeth and used the blow dryer in the bathroom to finish drying my hair. I could have dried it myself, but that tended to make it frizzy and wild and it was ten times harder to brush when it was like that. I wrapped a towel around my body to walk back down the hall to my room.

I put on fresh underwear and a clean bra, and then changed into a pair of shorts and a spaghetti strap tank top. It might be the end of November, but I wasn't planning on going out, and the cold didn't bother me, regardless. If I had a problem, it was generating too much heat, not getting cold. I could walk outside like this, and I wouldn't get cold or even feel a chill. I put on the sandals from the closet, grabbed what I considered essential jewelry, and went down to find Charlie.

Charlie was in the living room fiddling with the TV set when I got downstairs. The TV acted like it was getting a bad signal, but he had cable TV. I could understand something like that if he had an antenna on the roof, but the picture should have been perfect. It was like he was getting line noise that was affecting the signal.

"Oh, Hi Bella, I'll just be a minute. I don't know what is wrong with this damn cable. I must have the cable guys out here a couple of times a month. Most of the time it works just fine, but sometime something screws up the signal. The picture goes crazy when the cables hooked up to the cable box. It works fine when I hook the cable up direct to the TV, but then I can't watch the movie channels or use the on demand features. They've replaced the damn cable box a dozen times, but it keeps happening."

"Wow, that's weird…" I said, but I had an idea what was the matter.

I'd seen this happen before. I affected TV and radio reception if I dropped my shield, or was actively using some of my abilities. I threw off more interference when I was upset or emotional. Charlie was doing a good job of hiding it, but I knew this was an emotional experience for him.

Out of curiosity, I threw a shield around Charlie, and the picture instantly cleared and was normal. I'd left the Geiger counter upstairs in my room, but I had a feeling I'd found the gamma source.

Charlie nodded his head at the TV like he'd fixed it and walked back to his easy boy recliner and sat down. He picked up his coffee and took a drink, and then set it back down on a coaster on the end table between the recliner and the sofa.

"So you're getting settled in?" Charlie asked.

I sat down on the sofa, slipped out of my sandals and pulled my legs up under me. "Yeah… The room is great, Charlie."

"Ok. I don't have a lot of rules for you, Bella. I got you signed up for school. You start on Monday. The normal day starts at eight-fifteen and school gets out at three-fifteen. You're free to do as you like with your time, but I want to know where you are. I'll assume you're coming home after school unless you tell me otherwise. If you make plans I want to know in advance. Did you have a curfew when you lived in Phoenix?"

"We never discussed it. It wasn't an issue; I was just home most of the time."

"Well, let's just say ten o'clock on school nights and midnight on the weekends. If you make plans and need more time, let me know and we'll work something out."

"Ok…" That seemed more than fair. He just wanted to know where I was so he could look out for me. Some kids might feel stifled by him setting rules for them, but it made me feel like he cared about me and wanted to keep me safe.

"I know you just got here, and you haven't had an opportunity to meet anybody yet. Umm… Do you date?"

I suppose it was a legitimate question for a father to ask his daughter when she moved in with him. I was a healthy seventeen year old girl, and I knew the opposite sex existed. I had been asked out with a moderate amount of frequency when I was still in school. I had even gone on a few dates, held a few hands, kissed a few boys, but I'd been fourteen when I had to run for my life with Renee.

None of my past experiences had amounted to much, most of the 'relationships' ending almost as quickly as they began. I'd never had a 'boyfriend', but I had tried to conform to the accepted norms of my peers, and dating had been a necessary evil, even in middle school. Even when we were essentially on the run, I had noticed guys and they had noticed me. I'd spent some time with boys I met, but I'd never gotten beyond a couple of kisses with anyone.

"I've been on a date before. It's not something I'm really interested in right now."

"That's fine. You're old enough to know what you want and make your own decisions. I'm assuming you aren't going to let some guy force you to do anything you aren't ready for. If you do decide you like somebody, I'd like to meet them before you go out with them. I've lived here all my life and watched most of these kids grow up. I might have some insights for you."

"Ok… I'll let you know, but it isn't high on my priority list right now."

Charlie nodded, accepting my response, and then went on. "About the house… I'm not expecting you to move in and be the maid. I don't have a list of chores for you or anything. I'm comfortable taking care of the house, but I'll expect you to pick up after yourself. If you make a mess, clean it up. There's a dishwasher in the kitchen. You can rinse your dishes and put them in. I run it at night and put the clean dishes up when it's done. If there are dishes in it, assume they're dirty. The washer and dryer are under the stairs, feel free to do your laundry."

"Ok, I put some clothes in the hamper upstairs, but I'll wash them later. I don't really have a lot of laundry to worry about."

"Yeah, I noticed. We'll take care of that."

I wanted to ask him what he meant, but he continued on before I could decide what to say.

"Go ahead and eat or use whatever you want in the kitchen. If we don't have something you want, there's a grocery list on the fridge. I usually shop on the weekends. I don't really have set meal times. I guess I've gotten into the habit of eating out a lot since Mary passed."

"I can cook. Renee was a pretty experimental cook and liked to try weird new recipes all the time. I pretty much ran the kitchen since I was big enough to reach the stove so we could eat normal food. I did most of the grocery shopping too. I can do that here if you like…"

"That's fine. It's been a while since I had a home cooked meal here. Mary liked to cook, but her schedule was kind of crazy. We made it work though; my schedule was more flexible so I worked around her shifts."

"Umm… I don't want to pry, but what did she do?"

"I don't mind, Bella. She was a radiology technician at the hospital. We met during our last year together in college. I think she took the job at the hospital here in Forks because she was dating me and she knew I had applied to the police force here. We got married two years after we graduated from college."

"I don't want to intrude if it's too painful, but how did she die?"

"Cancer. She miscarried several times when we were still trying to have a family, and then the doctors finally diagnosed her with ovarian cancer. It was a long fight as we tried to save her life, but in the end, she lost her battle. She's been gone a year now."

"Umm… What do they think caused it?" I didn't know if I should tell him. He seemed to accept her death and was pretty stable. I didn't know how he'd handle the truth though.

"Nobody really has an answer for that. They tried to blame it on Mary and the equipment at her work. They tried to say she had sloppy work habits and got too much exposure to radiation doing her job. Her film badges were fogged too much of the time, but the films in her department were fogged a lot of the time too. They had the equipment checked and rechecked, but she kept testing high for radiation exposure. They never did discover the source."

I knew what the source was. I just didn't know if Charlie would want to know.

"Did they do any testing around the house? Were you tested for radiation too?"

"Me? No, I was never tested. I had a physical, but I never showed any symptoms so they didn't bother. I was healthy so they assumed the radiation source had to be the equipment at her work, maybe some faulty shielding or a leaky machine. They had techs climbing over that stuff for days, half a dozen times, but they never found anything."

"Charlie… Have you ever had your bioelectric field tested?"

"My bioelec… What? Is that like some kind of new age medicine or something? We tried all the options when Mary was sick. I think I read something about that… How the body can generate electrical fields or something…"

"Something like that… I think I know what happened here. I don't know if you want to know or not. You might not like what I'm going to tell you, but you're my father, so it's logical to assume…"

"What do you know?! You think you know what caused the cancer? How could…? Just tell me. I can handle it. I need to know."

"Ok, just a second, I'll be right back." I ran upstairs and grabbed the Geiger counter off the desk and ran back down to the living room.

"What's that, Bella?" Charlie asked curiously as I unclipped the wand from the side of the handheld device. "I saw the techs at the hospital use a gadget like that before when they were testing the equipment, but I never asked."

"It's a Geiger Counter. It's used to detect ionizing radiation, usually beta particles and gamma rays, but certain models can detect alpha particles. Good alpha and beta scintillation counters also exist, but Geiger detectors are still favored as general purpose alpha/beta/gamma portable contamination and dose rate instruments."

"Why do you have a Geiger Counter, Bella?"

"Umm… You said you knew what I can do… You said you had Renee's files…" Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…

"You start fires. I've had the files for one day. I scanned the pertinent information, but I didn't get into all the details and mechanics of how it all works."

"Umm… Ok… Yeah, I can start fires, but that's really just a side effect of what I do. I generate and can control a variety of high energy radiation and particle effects. In common parlance, I'm a firefly… At least that's what I call it with the mix of things I can do... Some of the people that know about us would simply call me a burner, but that doesn't quite fit with everything I can do."

"A firefly… Ok. What could Renee do? I have an idea, but it sounded pretty farfetched. I didn't get that far into the data yet…"

"Mom was a pusher. Not like drugs or anything, that's just what they call what she could do on the street. She could get inside your head and make you do things… Like mind control... She could read minds if she concentrated on you, and communicate telepathically, but none of it worked on me unless I let it."

"Why not?"

"I can shield too. Mom couldn't affect me because of my ability. I can shield myself and project a shield. The basic barrier I keep up all the time blocked all of her mental abilities."

"Oh. Do a lot of… people… have more than one ability?

"No... Having two related power sets is really, really rare. A lot of people could probably do more with the abilities they have, but it takes a lot of practice to learn to control them and figure out how to use them. I'm still learning new tricks, and I've been practicing since before I could walk. Being able to do more makes me more powerful and a lot more dangerous. I guess it makes me a bigger target too…"

"So there are a lot of different abilities and… power sets… out there?"

"Oh yeah, fireflies, shifters, pushers, shadows, movers, shields, watchers, jumpers, bricks, sniffs, trackers, dodgers, more than you can possibly imagine… They're all real. Some are more powerful than others. Mom got bad headaches and nose bleeds when she used her powers too much, but second generation powers like mine are a lot more stable and powerful. They think it's because we were born with them and our bodies adapt better because we grow up with them."

"This all sounds like something out of a cheap science fiction novel, Bella. This is for real?"

"As real as it gets, Charlie… Sure, it sounds like science fiction until you come home from school and find you dad lying in puddle of blood and some assholes are trying to kill you too, or you're burying your wife and you don't have the first clue why she really died!"

"It's these assholes from the government playing god and trying to create living weapons that are the problem! I just want to be a normal girl and live my life. I didn't ask for any of this! You didn't ask for this! God, you volunteered for this for beer money! How the hell were you supposed to know any of this was going to happen when they've been lying to us since the fifties?!"

"What about Mary? What do you mean that I don't know why she really died? Why do you need a Geiger counter, Bella?"

"You never get cold, do you? I bet she told you that you had warm hands. You have trouble with your television reception, but you've got cable TV. I bet you can never adjust the antenna just right when you listen to the radio, and the stations seem to fade in and out, but the signal gets stronger when you move your hand toward the radio. The radio reception in your car probably cuts in and out when you're driving. When you're hiking and you go pee outside, did you ever notice it glowing in the dark? I bet your coffee never gets cold, and if it is cold it warms back up when you're holding the cup. If you put a chocolate bar in your pocket they always melt before you can eat them."

"All of that happens to a lot of people. Those are all just coincidences…"

He was in denial but I could see him putting two and two together as I stood there watching. I could tell when the implication hit him and he realized what I was telling him.

"One or two of those things might happen to someone once in a great while, but not all of them all the time to the same person."

"There's nothing special about any of those…"

I looked at Charlie and shook my head. "I'm shielding you right now. I'm going to drop the shield. Watch the TV."

His head turned and he looked at the TV. I dropped the shield I had around Charlie and the TV picture dissolved into random squiggles and bursts of static as the sound cut in and out. I flipped on the Geiger counter and set the audio output option. I moved the wand towards Charlie and the random ticks of background radiation grew to an angry buzz like a swarm of angry rabid bees. I moved it away and the sound died off to the random background ticks again.

"Oh my god…! I killed her…?"

"You're throwing off a pretty heavy dose of gamma radiation and microwaves right now, but you're upset. The dosage of the emissions and the type of radiation effects is tied to your emotional state until you learn to control it. It gets stronger like this in relation to how strongly you're feeling. When you're at peace or rest, you'd probably read almost human."

"I'm radioactive? I'm the radiation source…? This is because of that drug test! The study Renee and I signed up for all those years ago… They did this to me! Oh my god! Mary died because she was my wife! I killed her… Am I going to hurt you too? Is it even safe for you to live with me?"

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm like you, and you aren't going to affect me. I'm immune to your affect. Even if I wasn't, my shield would protect me. You've noticed how pale I am. I keep a low level shield up all the time. It blocks everything I emit and most incoming radiation as well, including UV so I don't tan easily. I don't even think about it. It's even up when I'm asleep or unconscious so it protects the people around me."

"What about everyone else? Am I killing the people at work, just being around them?"

"No… I'm a lot more powerful than you, Charlie. If I dropped my shield, I'd be dangerous to people around me, but you aren't killing anyone. At least I don't think you are…"

"Then why did Mary die? Why did I have an affect on her if you're telling me everyone else is safe…?"

"Charlie…" I could feel the heat in my face and I knew I was blushing. "You were married to her… Married couples are... intimate... They do things together I assume you don't do at work."

"I don't understand… I understand what you're getting at... What does that have to do with…?"

"You were trying to start a family. She died of a specific type of cancer, Charlie. You throw off higher doses of radiation when you're emotional or… passionate…"

"You mean…" Charlie turned pink too. "Oh…"

"You don't have a girlfriend, right?"

"No. It's too soon… I was in love with my wife…"

"Then you aren't hurting anyone… You don't throw off enough radiation to hurt anybody without regular intimate physical contact. The people at work probably aren't getting any higher a dose than if they lived in a sunny climate like Mexico or Florida."

"Huh, only they have to deal with the overcast, rain and cold instead. Ok, so how does this work? Could I learn to control this to make sure the people around me are safe or use it for anything?"

"Maybe… It just takes practice now that you know it's there. Renee got pretty powerful, but she hurt herself pushing past her limits… I guess it kept us alive more than once…"

"Can you show me what to do?"

"Umm… sure… Do you have a fire extinguisher?"

"Under the sink in the kitchen… Why?"

"What you can do is like what I can do. If you're going to start practicing, you're going to want to mount it where it's more handy, and invest in more than one. Your homeowners insurance is paid up, right?"

"Ok…"

"C'mon, let's go in the kitchen."

Charlie got up and we walked into the kitchen. The room was bright and cheery with pale yellow cabinets and floral pattern wallpaper. The floor was large natural ceramic tiles. There was a nice dinette set with an oval table and four hardwood chairs. The appliances were modern looking with an electric range, dishwasher and refrigerator. There was a microwave oven, toaster, mixer, can opener and coffee maker sitting on the counter. One door led out to the backyard, and another door was either a closet or led to the basement.

"Get your fire extinguisher. Do you have a coffee mug?"

"In that cabinet," Charlie said, pointing out one of the cabinets on the wall.

I opened the cupboard and took out a large ceramic coffee mug and went to the sink and filled it with cold water from the tap. I set the mug on the table and sat down in a chair at the table. Charlie set the fire extinguisher on the counter and leaned back to watch.

"Ok, ready?" I asked.

"Sure, what are you going to do?"

"This is a simple exercise you can use to practice. I used to do this to practice when I was almost big enough to walk. I had to learn control so I wouldn't hurt anyone… You saw me fill the mug with cold water from the tap. Ice cubes work good too. It's too easy to let the power get away from you in the beginning. If you aren't careful it can spiral out of control. You need to learn to turn it on and off and only use as much power as you want. This is good for getting a handle on the basics."

"Ok…"

I held my hands beside the coffee mug, a couple of inches away, not touching it as I slowly let the power build to carefully control the energy input. My hands began to glow with a golden aura of energy, the light brightest from my palms, spreading until my hands were engulfed in a soft radiance.

The water in the cup started to steam, and then bubbles started to ripple to the surface. In seconds it was a full rolling boil, splashing over the side onto the table. I started to ramp down the power, clamping down on it, forcing it to obey. It would have been easier to just release the energy and damp it into the ground or a massive object, but we were indoors and I didn't want to burn down the house. I could flash boil the contents of the cup in an instant, but I couldn't control the power input as easily that way, and I didn't want to vaporize the cup or nuke the kitchen.

"Wow… This is for real, isn't it?" Charlie asked. His eyes were wide as he stared at the cup of water. It had stopped boiling now, but was only about half full as it steamed on the table top.

"Yeah, you should see what I can do with a frozen pizza…"

He happened to have a couple of frozen pizzas in the freezer and I heated them up for us for dinner. We chatted some more and I answered his questions about how my power worked. After a while, he said he had to go on a patrol around town, and I went upstairs and got the laundry out of the bathroom. I washed my clothes and then ran the dishwasher and put everything away. It gave me an opportunity to look over the kitchen and learn where everything went. I got my clothes when the dryer was done and went back up to my room.

I spent some time trying to read, but I couldn't concentrate on the words as I thought about mom. I finally gave up, got in bed and didn't try to hold back the tears anymore.

Eventually I fell into a fitful sleep and the nightmares started.

It wasn't a big fire. I was able to smother most of it out by throwing a force bubble around the pillow and starving it for oxygen. I gave it a short blast with the fire extinguisher to make sure it was out and tossed it on the floor as I collapsed back on the bed. I managed to sleep again after a while and thankfully I didn't have anymore accidents that night.

**Author's note:**

Please take a look at the poll in my profile if you haven't voted.


	3. Sequim

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 3 Sequim

Charlie was already up when I came downstairs the next morning. I was carrying the charred pillow and I walked out the kitchen door and tossed it into the trash.

"Rough night?" Charlie asked, glancing at the pillow as I walked by and then stepped back into the kitchen. I figured he had probably heard me screaming in my sleep, but I'd locked the door and he hadn't woken me up breaking it down.

"Yeah… I haven't had nightmares like that for a long time… Not since dad… Since Phil died…"

"So I guess we'll need to pick you up a new pillow then."

"It's not a big deal… I can do without. Even having a bed is more than I'm used to…"

"You shouldn't have to live like that and you won't while you're under my roof. I noticed there are a couple of things you need. You're going to need some clothes to start school on Monday and I'm sure there are other things we need to pickup. Go get dressed, and we'll go shopping."

"You want to go shopping?" I asked a little skeptically. It wasn't my favorite pastime, but there were some things I needed and I wasn't looking forward to showing up at school in my goodwill hand me down clothes. Still, I felt like I was imposing and taking advantage of the situation.

"Yeah, we can run out to Walmart in Sequim if that's ok with you. The Walmart in Port Angeles is closer, but they don't have a tire and lube center and I need to have the car serviced. A lot of the people around here drive the extra fifteen minutes to go there instead, it's a bigger more modern store than the one in Port Angeles, and easier to get to from the highway."

"Sure… Walmart's cool. You do realize this is the first weekend of the Christmas shopping season, right? Yesterday was Black Friday. The store is going to be packed with people shopping for the stuff that's still on sale, and there' are going to lines a mile long at the cash registers, right?"

"It's ok. You're going to need some things before you start school on Monday. If we don't go today, we'd just have to go tomorrow."

"Ok... Let me change and I'll be right back."

I was wearing cut-offs and a t-shirt with my sandals. The shirt was ok if I threw on my coat, but I needed to change into pants and put my sneakers on if we were going out. I'd attract attention if I went out in cut-offs in this weather.

I went upstairs and put on the pants I'd washed last night. They were the best I had, but at least they were clean now. I slipped on a pair of ankle socks and my ratty sneakers, and then sat down at the vanity to quickly do my makeup.

I used a light powder cover up on my face. I was still pale, but at least it evened out the splotches and dark circles from last night's sob-fest. I used a dark gray eye liner, and quickly swiped it over both lids. Mascara came next, and then some clear lip gloss that Renee had bought for me when we'd had some money but still couldn't really afford things like that. I smiled at the memory, and stuffed the lip gloss in my purse so I could re-apply later.

I picked up my pistol from the head of the bed now that the pillow was gone and stuck it back in the purse. I really needed to clean it. It was almost dangerous to carry like this, but I doubted I'd actually need to fire it. I grabbed a couple of spare magazines out of the drawer in the night stand just in case and stuck them in the purse. If I had to use it and it didn't blow up in my hand, I'd be glad I'd grabbed them. I grabbed my coat and I was good to go. I shut my door and ran back down to the kitchen.

Charlie was standing in the foyer at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a jacket when I got downstairs. He looked at me and smiled.

"Let me see it," he said, and held out his hand.

"See what," I asked.

"The piece. I know you're carrying. Let me see it."

"I need it. It's kept me alive more than once… People are trying to kill me."

"I understand that. I didn't say I was going to take it away. I want to see it."

"Ok…" I reached into my purse and took out the pistol. I reversed the grip and handed it to him, butt first.

"Bella! You can't carry like this! This is more dangerous to you is it is to anyone you might have to try to shoot! This could blow up in your hand!"

"I know… I was on a bus for a week. What was I supposed to do? Field strip it in the back seat and clean it in the toilet on the bus? It's more for looks anyhow. I'm more dangerous than the gun. I use it when I don't want to have to kill anybody."

"Never aim a weapon at somebody unless you're ready and willing to pull the trigger. A gun isn't dangerous, it's a tool. The person carrying it makes it dangerous."

"I know that. I'm just saying… people know a gun can hurt them. They aren't going to stop if I hold up my empty hand in their face and yell 'freeze'. I've used that and I know what it'll do. A lot of shop agents found out the hard way."

"Fine, we'll deal with this when we get home." Charlie opened the coat closet, and I knew he wasn't giving me back my gun. He took out his keys, and it looked like he was going to lock it up in the closet…

"Hey, you said you weren't taking it away from me. I need that. I never know when agents might show up for me. They have people that can blank out our powers…"

He opened a heavy armored gun cabinet inside the closet and set my pistol inside and reached for something.

"That's a Glock 17, right? It's chambered for 9mm parabellum?"

"Yeah…"

"You've got spare mags, right? Here. Take this. I know it's ready for action." Charlie handed me a pistol in a nylon holster. There was a clip on the side of the holster where you could clip it onto a belt or the waist band of your pants, or say a pocket inside your purse.

I pulled the pistol out of the holster and looked it over. I ejected the magazine and jacked the slide, catching the round that flipped out of the ejection port. It was clean as a whistle, and in better shape than my pistol. I thumbed the round back onto the top of the clip and reloaded it into the handle. I jacked the slide to re-chamber the round, and slipped it back into the holster.

"Thanks Charlie," I said as I slipped the gun into my purse and attached the clip to an internal pocket so I could draw the gun easier.

"I don't like that you have to carry that. It goes against everything I've been taught and everything I've sworn to as a police officer, but I know people really are trying to kill you and you've been forced to defend yourself. I'm trusting you to do the right thing, Bella."

"I'm not going to hurt anyone that isn't trying to hurt or kill me. I'm not going to rob anyone or knock over any convenience stores or rob banks, Charlie. I wouldn't need a gun for that, anyhow."

I didn't try to explain that we'd done, what we'd needed to do to survive when Renee and I were on the run. He probably knew about all of that already. We hadn't robbed anyone at gunpoint or stooped to armed robbery, although we'd come real close a couple of times when Renee was sick and hurting from pushing past the limits of her ability. Renee's ability had made it easy to get people to help us and give us the things we needed. It really helped that she could tell somebody to give us their car or money and make them think it was ok and they wanted to do it to help us. It would have been different if she wasn't with me, but I didn't tell him that.

"Ok. That's about what I figured anyhow. Do you know how to drive?"

"Umm… Yeah… I've been driving since I was fifteen. I've never had a driver's license though, and we never really owned any of the cars I drove except for in the very beginning."

"Alright, I guess that goes with the territory. Here…" Charlie reached into his coat pocket and handed me a card. It was a Washington State driver's license for Isabella Marie Swan. "I can see how well you drive on the way to Sequim, and whether you're safe to be on the streets." He handed me a set of keys and pushed open the front door to walk out onto the porch.

I followed him out of the house and down the steps onto the walkway. There was a red 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo sitting on the driveway next to the pickup now. Charlie's cruiser was parked in the street next to the curb. The keys in my hand were for a Chevy. One was obviously for the ignition and the other was for the doors and trunk. Charlie was walking toward the cars and got into the passenger door of the Monte Carlo.

I walked to the car and opened the driver door and got in. The experience was a little surreal. So much had happened in such a short time. I was speechless, but I tried to collect my thoughts and finally turned to look at Charlie.

"You bought me a car? The room was great, and the computer, but you're doing too much… You didn't even know I was coming until a couple of days ago… How…?"

"This was Mary's car. She really loved it. I couldn't part with it when I went through all of her things… It's been sitting in the garage for over a year. I can get you something else to drive if you like, but it's paid for, and I thought you might like it. You'll need a car to get to school and get around town. There isn't any public transportation except for the greyhound service that connects all the little towns on the peninsula and goes to Aberdeen and Port Angeles. We live too close to the school for the school bus to pick you up, so it's this or walk to school in the rain. I suppose I could drive you in the cruiser..."

"You're letting me to drive your wife's car? What if I scratch it or hurt it?" I was touched at his confidence in me. I'd take the car over having to walk in the rain or ride a school bus, but I didn't want him to get mad at me if something happened to the car.

"It's just a car, Bella. I know it's time to move on. This car has been sitting long enough. It's high time somebody got some use out of it. It needs an oil change and some new tires, but we can take care of that at Walmart in Sequim. I'd prefer that you not smoke in the car, or inside the house for that matter, but it's yours to drive if you want it..."

"Are you kidding? Of course I want it! I'll try to be good to it, but I can't make any guarantees if they come after me…"

"If The Shop comes after you, you stay alive and we'll deal with the fallout after."

"Ok… Thanks Charlie."

I was surprised that the car still ran after sitting for so long, but I guess he'd kept up with some of the basic maintenance. He must have at least started it regularly, but it had that musty not driven for a long time smell. He'd obviously driven it out of the garage to park it on the driveway. I started the car and we drove to one of the gas stations on the edge of town. Charlie had me fill up the tank and we went in to pay for the gas.

Charlie used his credit card, and introduced me as his daughter to the lady behind the counter. She seemed very curious and he told her I had moved to Forks to live with him. That got the story going. I figured by Monday morning, half the town would be buzzing with rumors about the chief's daughter. We said goodbye and left to go shopping.

We pulled off the highway about halfway to where the highway turned east toward Port Angeles, and drove down a logging road out into the forest. Charlie gave me directions, and finally we came to a big clearing. We got out of the car and he had me prove to him that I could use the pistol safely. He picked targets for me and had me shoot at them. We got back in the car and drove back out to the highway once he was convinced I could handle a gun safely. He seemed suitably impressed that I could hit what I aimed at. It shouldn't have been that surprising, I'd had plenty of practice.

Walmart in Sequim was like any other Walmart, big and moderately crowded as people filled their shopping carts with Chinese merchandise to pay for with American dollars. It was lunch time by the time we finally got there and went to the subway restaurant just inside the door for lunch. Charlie seemed surprised when I ordered a foot long subway melt sandwich on a Monterey cheddar roll. I added plenty of veggies, but I ate the whole thing and filled up my pop twice with regular soda. I definitely didn't have a weight problem, but using my abilities took a lot of energy, and using any amount of power left me famished. If anything, my metabolism was too efficient and I had trouble getting enough calories into my system most of the time, leaving me thin and feeling hungry all the time.

We got a shopping cart after lunch and went to the women's section. Charlie let me pick out clothes and try them on while he stood back and watched, only making the occasional comment. I wasn't really sure of my size anymore. It had been too long since I'd been able to shop like this in a regular store and I had to try on the pants to be sure they'd fit. I bought several pairs of new jeans and some long sleeved shirts and sweaters so I'd fit in with the cooler climate. Charlie let me pick out whatever I wanted, but I tried not to go too overboard filling out my wardrobe. I bought a large package of panties in my size and four more bras because most of mine were too small now or needed to be thrown out anyway. I got some more of the ankle socks I liked and some longer socks too.

I would have been happy to stop at school clothes, and I was happy with jeans and t-shirts, but Charlie told me to go ahead and pick out some nicer things to wear too. I wasn't planning on going out anywhere and I didn't really think it was necessary. He told me I might want something to wear out on a date, but I knew I wasn't planning on going out on any dates so I asked him what was up.

He turned pink again but told me the Forks police department threw a Christmas party every year for the officers, office staff and their families. Usually it was the employees and their spouses, but Mary had passed away and Charlie didn't want to ask somebody out on a date. He still wasn't ready to date so soon. He figured I was old enough to go with him if I'd like to go.

I thought about it for a minute. I didn't really think anything funny was going on. A lot of girls went out with their fathers for work related social events. It wasn't like he was asking me out on a date or something, he was my dad. I knew he just wanted to take care of me and wasn't trying to replace his wife, so I told him ok. There were still several weeks until the party, but he didn't mind if I wanted to pick out some nice things to wear too, just in case something came up. So I was looking at dresses while Charlie got the oil changed in the car and had all the fluids checked.

I ended up picking out a nice dress and a couple of skirts to add to my wardrobe. I got a couple of tops to go with the skirts and I knew I could wear some of the sweaters with them. I went back through the underwear section and picked up some stockings to wear with them and I felt I had adequately fleshed out my wardrobe selection. It was more than I'd had to work with for years, but I was playing at having a normal life again, and I was going to make it last as long as I could this time.

Charlie bought a new set of tires and arranged to have them installed and made arrangements for the oil change before he came back to find me. I was surprised that he wasn't alone. He was accompanied by a man in a wheelchair being pushed by a teen aged boy who looked about the same age as me, or maybe a few years older. They both appeared to be of Native American descent with long black hair pulled back into ponytails.

The man looked a little older than Charlie with a grave distinguished look. His black hair was shot through with gray. His skin looked leathery and weathered like he'd spent a lot of time out of doors in all kinds of weather. I suppose his complexion aged him and made him look older than he really was.

The boy looked a year or two older than me and seemed curious about who I was. He was tall and looked like he was covered in solid muscles without a spare ounce of fat. He seemed friendly enough, though, and I could tell he was friendly with Charlie and knew him well the way they bantered back and forth as he pushed the wheelchair through the store.

"Hey, Bella," Charlie said as they caught up to me as I was leaving the women's department, "This is my friend, Billy Black and his son Jacob."

Billy held out his hand to shake mine. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," Billy said. "Charlie was telling us about you and how you're coming to live with him." Billy smiled, but the smile didn't reach all the way to his eyes. He seemed to hold onto my hand for too long as he studied me before he let go. It was like he was looking for something and he seemed to find it as he studied me. I could tell he was less than pleased about my presence, although he kept up the appearance of being happy for Charlie.

"Hi, Billy… It's nice to meet you…" I really didn't have much more to say. I didn't know how much Charlie had told them, and I didn't want to complicate things by telling the wrong lies.

"Charlie and I go way back, Bella. You could say we grew up together. He's been alone for too long. It's good he'll have you with him now," Billy lied. I could tell he was sincere that Charlie wouldn't be alone, but seemed that he wasn't pleased that I was the one filling the void in his life. He glanced behind his shoulder at the boy. "This is my son, Jacob."

At least Jacob seemed genuinely enthusiastic and friendly. He stepped around the wheel chair and held out his hand. "Hey, Bella, welcome to Washington, you can call me Jake if you like. I'm glad you found your dad. Charlie's a great guy. I always knew he'd make a great dad."

"Hi, Jake… It's nice to meet you too…" Jacob smiled at me as I shook his hand, and I could tell it was honest and sincere. He wasn't hiding anything or holding anything back. He was genuinely happy to meet me and seemed oblivious to his fathers trepidation and veiled hostility.

Of course the shoe department was next. Billy and Jacob tagged along while we shopped and Charlie had me pick out a couple of pairs of shoes. I gathered from the conversation that they were here with a bigger shopping party from home and had mostly tagged along to go for the ride and get out for the day. Other members of their group were doing the actual shopping while they browsed. Jacob's friendship was infectious, it was nice to laugh and joke around again and honestly get to know somebody who liked me for me.

As far as shoes were concerned, I would have been happy with just a new pair of sneakers, but now I needed to pick out some nice shoes too to go with the other outfits. I got a pair of black flats and a pair of booties with a two inch heel. That was daring for me, but I didn't really have as much of a problem with my balance anymore. I'd gone through a gangly awkward phase where I'd tripped over my own feet walking across a flat floor, but I'd pretty much outgrown that coltish clumsiness by now. Regardless, really high heels scared me. I didn't have a lot of practice walking in them, and saw no need to tempt fate when I had no real occasions to wear them anyhow.

I picked out some sleep pants and a set of pajamas, and then we found a new pillow and pillow case for my bed as we browsed through the store while waiting for the work on the car to get done. Charlie didn't balk when I picked up some makeup essentials and shampoo and conditioner. I got a new package of blades for my razor, and picked up some feminine products to take care of my monthly requirements. Jacob didn't comment directly, but I learned he had two older sisters and this part of shopping didn't faze him the way it would freak some guys out.

We went to the hardware department and picked out some fire extinguishers for the house. Jacob commented on Charlie's new fire prevention kick, and I drew some hard stares from Billy, but he didn't comment or ask why we needed more fire extinguishers.

I thought we were done shopping, but then Charlie led me over to the stationary and office supply section and we looked at school supplies. I seriously didn't want a backpack, but I let Jacob talk me into a messenger bag with a shoulder strap to carry my school stuff in. We picked out pens and pencils and some notebooks. Charlie bought me a ridiculously expensive calculator that he said I'd need it for trig and calculus. I could do math, but it seriously stressed my brain and gave me a headache. I much preferred English and history.

We were ready to leave and I figured I get an argument when we went through the checkout, but Charlie didn't bat an eye when I asked for a couple of packs of cigarettes. He had to show his ID because I wasn't eighteen yet, but he just handed it over for the lady at the cash register to scan. My mouth dropped open and I stared at the total on the cash register monitor when she was finished scanning all of our purchases. Charlie just handed her his credit card and used the little plastic stylus to sign in the window of the monitor when the cashier was done ringing everything up.

I didn't have any money of my own and I wasn't going to ask for an allowance because Charlie was already doing way too much for me. I suppose I'd have to see what was available in town, but I'd look for a job to at least earn some money for gas and cigarettes. I wanted to be independent, but until I got a job I was living on Charlie's dime. He didn't seem to mind and he was bending over backward to make me feel welcome. It wasn't in my nature to abuse his generosity if I could avoid it. I preferred to be independent when I could, but he was my father, so I let him do this for me. That didn't mean I didn't intend to pay him back when I could.

I went out front with the shopping cart to smoke a cigarette while Charlie walked back to get the car from the tire shop with Billy. Jacob followed me out to hang out with me while Charlie pushed Billy along with him through the store, saying they wanted to find the rest of their friends from La Push.

"Jeez, I thought those two would never leave," Jacob said when we were alone out front waiting. "So, do you like Forks?" He asked.

I shrugged. "It's better than foster care, and Charlie is cool. He didn't think twice and let me come live with him. He seems like a great guy. So how old are you? Are you still in school?" I asked to turn the conversation to Jacob. It would be easier if he was answering questions instead of me wondering what lies Charlie had told.

"I'm sixteen. I'm a sophomore this year."

I had to do a double take and seriously look at Jacob again. There was no way he was sixteen. He looked way older. "No way! You're sixteen? What do they feed you guys out there? I would have sworn you had to be a senior if you were even still in school…"

"I get that a lot. I guess we just grow up faster on the reservation. A lot of the guys just seem to hit a growth spurt at about this age and just shoot up over night. It's kind of cool sometimes. I can get into a lot of clubs, and sometimes I don't even get carded if they don't know me."

"That's cool. So, do you want a ride to school? It'll be nice to know at least one person there."

"I go to the reservation school in La Push…"

"The reservation school? What's La Push?"

"La Push is where I live. It's the town on the Quileute Reservation, out west of Forks on the coast. It's about a twenty minute drive west on Highway 110. It's even smaller than Forks, but we have our own school and a general store. There's a small harbor there at the mouth of the Calawah River with some fishing boats and more private boats people keep docked there. There's a beach and a couple of resorts…"

"A beach? Really? Isn't it kind of cold and wet here for a beach?"

"Well, it is next to the Pacific Ocean so we call it a beach. It's not the kind of beach where people walk around in bikinis and shorts, but a lot of people go there to surf. Most of the people have to wear a wet suit if they go in the water to stay warm but some of the guys from La Push cliff dive in just shorts."

"Huh, that's cool. So, do you cliff dive too?"

Jacob seemed flustered. "Umm, yeah, sure… Not all the time, but I've tried it…" He stammered.

It actually sounded kind of fun, and something I wouldn't mind trying now that I knew it wasn't going to kill me. "So if I come down to La Push sometime will you take me cliff diving? It sounds fun."

Jacob seemed to perk up and smiled at me. "That would be great! I'd love to show you around. Can I get your phone number, and maybe we can set something up?"

"I don't have a phone, but you can get a hold of me at Charlie's house," I said.

"Oh, ok... When do you think…?"

"Jacob!" A deep commanding voice interrupted him.

I was startled and looked back to see who it was. Another russet skinned man with short cropped black hair and Native American features was standing behind us. The man was absolutely huge and almost scary big as he stood towering over us. He had to be close to seven feet tall with heavy ropy muscles that bulged and rippled under his tight t-shirt. I had no doubt that he'd easily be able to pick me up with one hand and snap me like a twig without a second thought if I was a normal human girl. He had apparently just stepped out of the doors at the front of the store.

"Go help Leah and Paul load the supplies into the trucks." The man ordered as he addressed Jacob.

"Hey, Sam, I want you to meet Bella Swan. She's Charlie Swan's daughter. She's coming to live with him," Jacob said, almost completely unfazed by Sam's sudden appearance and overbearing attitude. "Bella, this is Sam Uley. He lives on the reservation too."

"I know who she is," Sam said, eyeing me with the same hostility I'd detected from Jacob's father, Billy. "Go help load the truck's now so we can leave. Quil is bringing Billy back up to the front of the store so we can head back to La Push."

"Fine, Sam," Jacob said. "I'll see you around some other time, Bella. It was nice to meet you," and then Jacob hurried off to go find the rest of his group.

Sam hung back and waited until Jacob was out of earshot. "You should leave Jacob alone. I don't want to see him get hurt. He's a good kid."

"I'm not going to do anything to Jacob. Billy's my dad's friend. I'm not going to do anything to hurt him or his son."

"We know what happened in Phoenix. We know what people like you and your mom can do. We don't want him to get caught in the crossfire when the government comes for you. You're going to bring the feds down on all of us and attract attention we don't need."

"How…!"

Sam shook his head, cutting me off. "I'll tell you once; you're not welcome in La Push. Stay off our land, and nobody will have to make any anonymous phone calls. I want the feds here even less than you, though, so stay away from Jacob, and nobody needs to know you're here until they find you on their own. Then you run like hell. You run the hell away from us and leave us the hell alone, got it?"

I nodded once. Sam looked at me for a minute, and then turned and strode rapidly away across the parking lot to join the rest of his group around a motley collection of pickup trucks, Jeeps and a late model suburban. None of the vehicles looked remotely close to new, and some of them seemed like they'd been repaired many times with a variety of colors of paint where parts had been salvaged and replaced from other vehicles.

I was done smoking my cigarette by the time Charlie drove around to the front of the store, and I crushed out my cigarette butt on the ground with the toe of my sneaker. I was mostly over being mad by then too, and was more curious about what Sam and Billy were hiding in La Push that they didn't want the Shop to investigate. They obviously were hiding a secret, and if they knew about me and Renee and didn't want the government poking around, I could only guess that it had to do with some kind of mutation or ability they were hiding that they didn't want the government to learn about.

Charlie opened the trunk with the button in the glove box, and I started loading bags into the trunk. He got out to help me, and then pushed the cart to the cart return when we were done.

I got into the driver seat and Charlie got into the passenger seat when he came back. "So, ready to head home?" I asked when he closed his door and reached for the seat belt. I didn't let what Sam had told me affect me, and played it off like nothing had happened. Maybe he knew more about what was going on down in La Push, but I'd bide my time and bring it up another time. I could still feel Sam's eyes on me, and there was no telling if he could hear me or not.

"We have one more stop to make," Charlie said. "Pull over to that strip mall over by the exit and park the car," he told me, pointing to a row of retail shops that shared the parking lot with the Walmart super-center.

I nodded and drove over to where he'd pointed. There were four or five businesses in the row of shops. Payless shoes was most prominent, but I'd already gotten shoes. There was a dollar store and a Mexican restaurant. A video game store took up the other end of the strip mall. There were a couple of other stores, but I didn't see why we needed to visit any of them.

I parked in the middle of the row against the front curb, and Charlie got out of the car.

"C'mon, Bella, this should only take a minute," Charlie said.

I got out and followed him onto the sidewalk, and then walked beside him as he walked up to a storefront for a wireless company and opened the door. Charlie held the door for me and we walked inside. Maybe he wanted to pay his bill or had a problem with his phone, but I didn't know why we needed to be here.

There was a display of cell phones on a centrally located rack, and I went to look at them while Charlie walked to the counter in the middle of the store. The phones looked amazing. I'd always wanted one, but we'd never had the money to get a decent one like these. I'd had some of the cheap prepaid ones off and on, but we only bought them when we needed them and got rid of them as soon as somebody got a hold of the number. Owning a cell phone was bad news if you were trying to hide and live on the run. They were way too easy to trace, and anyone who learned your number could find you in a heartbeat.

The sales girl at the counter immediately moved over to help Charlie when he went to the counter. "Can I help you with something, Sir?" she asked.

"Yes, I'd like to add my daughter onto my wireless plan. You have a family plan, don't you?"

Huh…? Did he just say what I thought he said? But I was his daughter…

"Yes, Sir, if you could just give me your cell number, I can pull your account up on the screen."

Charlie rattled off a ten digit number and the girl keyed it into the computer. They discussed plan options and family plans, roaming and coverage areas, unlimited text messaging and data usage. They might have been speaking a foreign language as I stood there in shock looking at all the shiny new phones. The only thing that broke through the fog in my mind was…

"Pick out a phone…"

"For real? You're not kidding?" I asked as Charlie walked up beside me.

"You need a phone, Bella. Which one do you want?"

I already knew when the sales girl followed Charlie over. "I want the pebble," I said.

"Which color? It comes in black, red, blue, pink and orange."

That gave me a bit of pause. No way was I getting pink. I liked blue, but red was too cool, and it would match my car. "Red," I told the sales girl and she walked behind the counter to the storeroom and came back with a small box.

Charlie and I looked around the store while she got the phone setup. He picked up a car charger for my new phone and a hands free Bluetooth head set.

"Use the head set when you're in the car, and no driving and texting. I don't mind if you talk while you drive as long as its hands free and you don't have to take your eyes off the road to fiddle with the phone."

"I don't even have anyone to talk to Charlie. I love the thought, and I've always wanted a nice one like this, but I don't see why I need a phone…"

"You'll make friends once you start school and I want you to be able to get a hold of me. Your mother disappeared without a trace seventeen years ago. If she'd had a phone then, I might have been able to do something…"

"They would have taken you away with her…"

"I wish they had. We would have been together then. Maybe we could have escaped together and been a family all these years."

"You'd be dead now like Phil…"

"I'm tougher than I look. I'm not going down without a fight either. Those bastards aren't taking anything else away from me. I've finally got you back; I'm not going to lose you again. You need a phone to be able to call me. I want to know where you are, Bella, all the time. I don't want it to seem like I'm too clingy or overprotective, but I need to know you're safe. If you go someplace other than home, I'll expect a call. Otherwise I'll expect the worst and call out the troops. Ok?"

"Ok… I understand. Thank you, Charlie."

And I did understand. He really did just want to keep me safe. Most kids would think that it was some kind of crazy overprotective parental over reaction, but he really did have a legitimate reason to be concerned. My mother had been kidnapped before I was born and had essentially disappeared from his life for seventeen years, and then been torn away when he'd only just reconnected with her. My step dad had been murdered by these assholes and shot down in cold blood which they had tried to pin on my mom and me. They'd hunted us like animals for two years, and as far as we knew, they'd murdered my mother too.

There was no telling when they'd show up looking for me next. This was a lull in the storm because I'd managed to drop off their radar again for a while. This respite might last a day, it might last for a year, or it might last eleven years like last time. I didn't plan to hold my breath and wait. All I knew was that when this reprieve, however brief it might be, ended we would suddenly know it and there would be violence. Until then, I was going to soak up as much of the good life as I could. I didn't mind having to check in for the sake of Charlie's peace of mind. Talking to him proved he was still alive to me as much as it salved his conscience.

The girl had the phone set up and called us back over to the counter. Charlie had her show me how to use the Bluetooth headset and how to setup my voicemail. He gave her his credit card and she rang up the purchase.

We left Sequim and drove back through Port Angeles and got onto the 101 to drive back to Forks. It was the same trip I'd taken home from the bus station yesterday. There was only one main highway that ran through the western Olympic Peninsula, and it was the only way to drive into or out of Forks unless you flew. The high way continued south, but Aberdeen was two hours away to the south, and the highway passed through it if you were going to drive to Olympia or Tacoma.

Charlie took my phone and started programming in telephone numbers as we drove back to Forks. He put the phone back in my purse when he was satisfied with the list of numbers in the contacts he'd added for me to speed dial. We were driving down the 101 towards Forks when I brought up a subject I'd been meaning to ask Charlie about.

"Charlie, you're the Chief of Police, right?"

"Yes. I've been Chief for three years now, but it's a position appointed by the mayor. I'll keep the job as long as this mayor stays in office. The next mayor might pick somebody else, or this guy could get re-elected. The people seem to like him, so it's job security."

"Ok, so can you get me a carry permit for my gun?"

"No, and I don't know that it would be such a good idea if I could."

"Why not? Wouldn't that be better than carrying an illegal concealed weapon?"

"I couldn't do it regardless. Carry permits go through the County Sheriffs office, not the police department. It might work different in really big cities, but that's how it works here."

"Oh… Ok. I just thought I'd ask… I really don't want to break any laws I don't have to, but people are trying to kill me. I'm just defending myself."

"I know that and I believe you, but you've got to understand, most of the law enforcement agencies and the law enforcement organization in this country are going to view you as a terrorist and a wanted fugitive from justice. The Shop might be evil, but they're still part of a sanctioned government agency even if they're pretty far out on the fringe."

"That's just crazy, Charlie. This can't be something the general population would allow if they knew about it. Aren't the people supposed to decide what the government does?"

"Again, I believe you, and I agree with you, but this isn't something that's going to change overnight. It's not something we can blow the whistle on without exposing ourselves to all kinds of official and unofficial actions, either. They've got the whole bureaucracy of the government, the CIA, the NSA, the ATF and the FBI to put out disinformation and hide the truth from the American people."

"That totally sucks, Charlie."

"Oh, it gets worse. Local police departments are going to believe them and do what they tell them to do because they're the government. We might be able to expose individual agents or groups that the government will disavow and say they're acting on their own without official sanction, but it'll take hard evidence to ever make even that much stick. In the mean time, you'll be dead or just disappear if The Shop ever gets a hold of you."

"Yeah, I figured that much out on my own."

"Back to the point, though. Washington is a 'shall issue' state. That means if you can pass a background check and meet the requirements, you don't have to provide a reason why you need a concealed carry permit. In some other states, you have to give a reason why you need a concealed weapon carry permit. Something like being a licensed private detective or an armed security guard or carrying large amounts of cash to make deposits in the bank for a business. I don't think they'd buy, 'I'm being chased by rogue government agents that are trying to kill me'.

"Regardless, you don't meet the requirements. You wouldn't pass the background check and even running it would be dangerous, plus you have to be twenty-one."

"Yeah, I suppose you have a point. So you're cool with this, right?"

"I don't like it. I'd prefer you didn't have a reason to need it, but I'm not going to tell you not to carry it. I know you have a legitimate reason to need it. Just don't get caught unless you're prepared to have to leave town and run for it. Don't let anyone find out you even have it unless you're prepared to have to leave town over it."

"Ok…"

"I'm serious about this, Bella. This is a new situation for you. I'd really prefer you don't take it to school, or at least leave it in the car. This is a small town, and we don't have metal detectors or school cops or razor wire on the fences at school. Nobody will know you have it if you do take it unless you show it to them or they're nosy and get into your stuff. I'll leave it up to you, but if anyone finds out, we'll have to leave town."

"We? You'd give up all of this to go with me?"

"You're my daughter. I'm not going to turn my back on you for anything. When those assholes come for us, we're in this together, Bella. Fight or run, they're not taking you away from me again. We're in this together from now on, kiddo."

"Thanks, Charlie…"

We drove into Forks shortly after that. It was dinnertime and I was wondering what I was going to fix when Charlie spoke up.

"Are you hungry, Bella?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering what I was going to fix for dinner."

"Go ahead and pull into the Diner up here and we'll have dinner before we go home. That way you don't have to cook, we don't have to clean up, and you'll have time to put away all your new stuff."

"Ok, which one is the Diner? I don't see a sign for it…"

"It's the Forks Coffee Shop on the corner, but they sell more than coffee. They have a full menu. You can get a steak or a burger, or they serve breakfast twenty-four hours a day."

My stomach growled loudly at the description and Charlie chuckled. I saw the sign when he said the name and pointed it out. It seemed like a popular dinner destination. I pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. We got out and walked into the lobby of the restaurant and hung up our coats on the coat rack inside the door.

There were more of the local townspeople in the restaurant. Of course, all of them knew Charlie and seemed surprised to see me with him. I got the impression that they weren't sure exactly what to make of me. I was too young to be his girlfriend unless he was a total perv, but they all knew he didn't have any kids. I could tell the lady that came to seat us seemed very curious about who I was. She was old enough to be my mother, and looked like she was friends with Charlie, the way she acted.

"Hey, Charlie, table for two tonight?" The hostess asked as she looked me up and down curiously.

"Sure, Amy, that sounds fine."

"So who's your friend here tonight?" Amy asked, smiling at me as she led us to a booth on the middle of the restaurant.

Charlie chuckled. "Just a little nosy tonight, huh? Ok, Amy, this is my daughter, Bella. You'll probably be seeing a lot of her around town. She's coming to live with me. She's starting school here on Monday."

Charlie didn't exactly whisper to the hostess, Amy, and I could practically see ears pricking up all around us as other people in the Diner listened to what Charlie was saying. At least some of them didn't openly stare, although it was obvious everyone was listening. Several people actually turned in their seats to get a better view of what was going on.

"Oh... That's nice... It's nice to meet you, Bella. I'm Amy." She acted friendly and held out her hand and I shook it, but I could see the curiosity burning in her eyes as she studied me. "So what brings you to Forks of all places? I didn't realize Charlie had any kids. He was married for so very long here in Forks... You're in high school, right?"

I figured it was as good an opportunity to get a back story out there as I was going to get.

"My mom was killed in a car accident, and I was all alone. My dad… my step dad passed away a couple of years ago. We were going through my mom's things and found my birth certificate. It said Charlie was my biological father. The court contacted him, so I came here instead of foster care. Charlie said he has me enrolled in high school…" I turned to Charlie to let him fill in the blanks.

"Bella is a junior this year. She'll be graduating next year." I was glad he'd cleared that up, it was news to me, but he was still talking. "I dated Bella's mother in college before I met Mary, but she left and never told me about her. She got married and her husband raised Bella as his own daughter. Neither of us even knew the other existed until a week ago. I was happy to have her come live with me so we can get to know each other."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Bella. I'm glad you two found each other after all this time. Charlie and Mary always wanted to have a family. He's been so sad this last year. The two of you look happy together."

"Thank you."

She took our drink order and left menus, and then went back to get our drinks now that her curiosity was satisfied. There were whispers around the room and people turned to look at us. I knew the story was making its way around the room. I hoped it didn't morph into something completely unrecognizable before I started school.

A waitress came around, and Charlie introduced her as Deb. She took our order and went back to the kitchen to turn it in. We didn't have to wait long for her to come back and serve our food. Charlie ordered a sirloin steak with a baked potato and all the fixins. I took advantage of the twenty-four hour breakfast option, and asked for the chicken fried steak and eggs with pancakes for the bread option.

Deb came back and set two huge platters of food in front of me. The chicken fried steak was breaded, fried golden brown and smothered in cream gravy. There were three large eggs just the way I liked them, over and done medium firm. The other platter had a stack of pancakes that practically covered the plate three high. There was butter melting on the stack and running down the side. My mouth was literally watering as Deb set the little glass pitcher of maple syrup in front of me.

"Can I get you two anything else?" Deb asked after she had all of the food served.

"Can I get a refill on my Pepsi?" I asked. I was really thirsty, and the glass was two thirds empty.

"Sure, hon, I'll be right back," she said and picked up my glass to walk back to the pop machine.

I dug in and demolished the steak and eggs. I'd always had a healthy appetite since I'd learned to control my shield as a very small girl. Keeping up my basic shield twenty-four seven took a moderate amount of energy and gave me a seriously healthy appetite. I burned all the calories, and my metabolism ran hotter than a normal humans. I didn't have to worry about getting fat. My problem was stuffing enough food into my face so I didn't start burning muscle mass to feed my energy requirements and turn into literally skin and bones. I could eat like this every meal, and I still wouldn't have an ounce of extra fat on my body. After really using my powers, I'd be literally famished, and would eat like a horse to try and balance out my energy requirements.

My breakfast for dinner was excellent and I gave a little contented sigh as I mopped up the last flows of syrup with a final bit of pancakes on my fork. I sighed as I popped it in my mouth and washed it down with the last of my second glass of pop.

Charlie was looking at me with a bit of awe, after I'd finished off both of the huge plates of food. He'd had a similar reaction at lunch when I'd ordered the foot long sandwich, and then had devoured every bite plus a couple of cookies.

"I know they say teenagers have healthy appetites, but where are you putting all of that? Do you have a hollow leg? Do you eat like this all the time? You don't look like you have an ounce of fat on you… That's not going to change, right? Are you going to go out for any sports in school?"

"I don't know… I've never had an opportunity to try any sports before. Don't worry, I'm not going to suddenly balloon up on you and pack on an extra fifty pounds or something, Charlie. My metabolism runs a little hotter than normal. I'll burn all these calories as energy. My problem is eating enough so I don't burn up muscle mass to fuel my system. I hate to say this, but your grocery bill is going to be a lot bigger than it was. I don't mean to eat you out of house and home, but it's just kind of the way my system works."

Charlie nodded contemplatively. "Mary was always in awe of the way I ate, and remarked that she was surprised that I didn't weigh three hundred pounds. I always just assumed it was because I led an active lifestyle and spent a lot of time out hiking in the forest to get to the best fishing holes."

I lowered my voice and leaned closer to speak more privately. "I'm sure that's part of it, but you probably burn a lot of it off to fuel your energy needs too. That'll grow if you start practicing like I showed you yesterday."

Charlie nodded and looked around to see who might be listening. "Let's discuss that at home."

I nodded. "I'm going to go wash my hands. I'll be back in a minute."

Charlie nodded and I got up and picked up my purse. I walked back to the ladies room and washed the stray bits of syrup off my hands, and then opened my purse to touch up my makeup. I took out my lip gloss and reapplied, and lightly brushed my hair for a second, but everything else was acceptable, considering the next stop was home anyhow.

I walked out of the bathroom, and Charlie was drinking coffee and chatting with several other men his age. I really didn't want to have to tell my story again and go through all the introductions. I caught Charlie's eye and nodded toward the door and pantomimed smoking a cigarette. He nodded, and turned back to his friends, knowing I'd be safe for a couple of minutes alone out in front of the restaurant. I felt relieved that I wouldn't have to meet anymore of his fishing buddies tonight after dealing with Billy and Sam at Walmart. I went to the door and grabbed my coat instead of going back to the table.

It was cold and there was a light drizzle, but the roof of the restaurant overhung the sidewalk. There was a sand ashtray on top of a pebble finished concrete waste can outside the door. I took a cigarette out of my purse and carefully looked around. Nobody was watching, so I let my finger tip glow bright orange, and touched it to the tip of the cigarette.

My finger didn't really get hot enough to light it, but it threw off enough concentrated microwaves and focused radiation to make the paper and tobacco char and burn. One puff through the cigarette drew in enough oxygen to make it light as though I'd touched the end of the cigarette to the burner on an electric stove. I let the energy fade and the glow from my finger tip winked out and disappeared.

I was standing casually, smoking my cigarette when the door of the restaurant opened, and a trio of girls about my age walked out. I could tell they were watching me and they seemed very curious.

The leader of the group appeared to be the shortest of the three, standing about five foot one inch tall. She had very curly, dark brown hair and blue eyes. She smiled at me and seemed like she had an energetic bubbly personality.

The medium sized girl had long, pale cornsilk blonde hair and green fishy eyes with pale eyebrows. She stood about five foot six inches tall, and seemed a little disdainful as she glared down her nose at me, acting bored, like there were better ways to spend her time than meeting me.

The third girl was very tall but willowy thin. She was at least as tall as Charlie, and he was easily six feet. The girl had light brown hair with streaks of honey blond and wore wire framed glasses that framed her soft brown eyes. She seemed like she was friendly and her eyes looked gentle and compassionate.

"Hi," The short girl with the curly brown hair said. "I'm Jessica, and this is Lauren and Angela," she said, indicating the blonde and the tall girl in turn. "We heard you guys talking in the restaurant, saying you're moving her and starting school. We're all in the same class, so we thought we'd come say hi."

I decided to put my best foot forward. It wouldn't do to play shy now. This meeting could set the tone for my next two years here if I stayed that long. I wanted to meet people and make friends, and I was sure I'd be seeing a lot of these three girls at school.

I held out my hand to introduce myself. "Hi, Jessica, I'm Bella. The court says I'm Bella Swan now I guess, but that still seems so weird to me. I grew up thinking of myself as Bella Dwyer." Jessica shook my hand and smiled at me.

Lauren spoke up next. "Yeah, I guess it kind of sucks not to even know who your real father is," She said with a sneer. She made it sound like I could have done something about it, and somehow my parentage reflected on my character.

"Lauren! Be nice," the tall girl, Angela said. "That's rude, and I'm sure this has all been a shock to Bella." She turned to speak to me next. "Ignore Lauren, she has no manners. I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I'm glad you were able to find family to live with."

"Jeez. Lauren, you can be such a bitch," Jessica said. "Like you really know who your father is. You just call whoever your mom's shacked up with dad, and hope he's drunk enough to stay passed out when your mom's done with him."

"Thanks, Angela," I said, ignoring the byplay between Jessica and Lauren. Lauren just shrugged it off like it was nothing, and Jessica didn't seem to realize what she had said would be hurtful and cruel.

"It was a shock to me," I continued. "I always thought my mother's husband, Phil was my father. They got married when I was about four, but I always figured they just lived together before they got married. It was a total surprise when they found my birth certificate and it had another name listed for my father."

"So when did you get to town, Bella," Jessica asked. "Where are you from?"

"Charlie picked me up in Port Angeles yesterday morning. I was on the bus for three or four days. I'm from Phoenix, Arizona."

"Isn't it supposed to be sunny in Phoenix?" Lauren asked. "You seem awfully pale for somebody from Arizona.

I shrugged. "I burn too easily in the sun, I get killer sunburn. I always avoided it when I could or wore sun hats when I was outside," I lied.

"Well, you'll fit right in here then," Jessica said. "It's never sunny here. Well, maybe half a dozen days during summer, but it rains all the time." I took a good look, and she was right. They weren't quite as pale as me, but they were all very fair skinned with barely any apparent tan.

"So, you moved in with Chief Swan," Angela asked. I nodded yes. "Well, we're practically neighbors then. I live right down the street from you on the next block. Maybe we can hang out some time."

"Sure, that'd be great. Maybe we'll be in some classes together. I guess I'll get my schedule on Monday morning…"

"Hey, hanging out sounds like a great idea," Jessica enthused. "What are you doing tonight, Bella? We're all headed to the entertainment center at the bowling alley. There's bowling, air hockey, pool tables…"

"And Mike and Tyler and Ben and Connor…" Lauren continued for her with a smirk. "C'mon, Jess, face it. You could care less about bowling as long as Mike notices you."

"Boys are fun too. What do you say, Bella? Do you want to hang out with us? There'll be more kids from school there tonight. You could get to know some people before you start school on Monday."

"I don't know… I'll have to ask Charlie. We did a ton of shopping today in Sequim, and we haven't even been home to unload the car yet…"

"I can follow you home if you need a ride…" Jessica said.

Just then I was saved by the restaurant door opening, and Charlie walked out.

"Hey, Chief Swan," Jessica said. "We were just getting to know Bella."

"Hi girls," Charlie said. "So are you making friends, Bella?"

"Sure… I just met Jessica, Angela and Lauren here…"

"We invited Bella to go to the entertainment center with us tonight," Jessica chimed in. "We asked her to come hang out with us, and we can introduce her to some more of the kids from school. If that's alright with you…"

"That's fine if you want to go, Bella?" Charlie asked, leaving the decision up to me.

"Umm… sure, if you're cool with that…"

"Sure, you should get out and meet some people. We need to go unload the car, but Bella can drive up and meet you there. Will that work?"

"That'll be great!" Jessica said. "So, do you have a car already, Bella?"

"Umm… Yeah, Charlie's letting me use the Monte Carlo…"

"It's yours, Bella. I'm not just letting you use it. Just take care of it and we're good."

"Wow, that is so cool!" Jessica said. "My mom gave me her old car when she bought her new one, but it isn't as nice as yours."

"I drive my dad's old car." Angela said. "He gave me the keys so I could drive to school when he bought his new car."

Lauren didn't say anything, and just looked down. I knew she was jealous, but didn't want to rub it in and discuss what was likely a sore subject for her.

"Well, we better get going so Bella can get unpacked and meet you girls up there."

"Good, we'll be waiting for you, Bella," Jessica said.

The girls waved as they walked away out into the parking lot and piled into a late model used white Mercury. Jessica was driving, and Lauren got into the passenger seat. Angela folded herself into the back seat and they waved again as Charlie and I got into the Monte Carlo.

**Author's note:**

**I can't say I'll have a regular schedule with posting this story. I'm considering switching off between this and the other stories and trying to post something at least weekly.  
**

**A point of clarification, the the summary said ExB & JxB. The J in question would be Jacob, not Jasper if that isn't too much of a spoiler. I thought it was a given, but I guess not.  
**

******I've gotten some votes on the poll. I'm interested in your opinions, as either votes or reviews.**


	4. The Entertainment Center

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 4 The Entertainment Center

_The girls waved as they walked away out into the parking lot and piled into a used white Mercury. Jessica was driving, and Lauren got into the passenger seat. Angela folded herself into the back seat and the waved again as Charlie and I got into the Monte Carlo._

"So you're really cool with this, right?" I asked as I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Yes, it's fine. You need to meet people and it was probably inevitable that Jessica would find a way to give you the third degree sooner or later."

"Ok… So do you want to share a little of that insight you mentioned? What do I need to know about these girls?"

"Jessica is pretty harmless. She doesn't get into trouble, but she's almost as big a gossip as her mother, Janet Stanley. They've got money and are one of the more affluent families in town. Her father is in insurance and real estate. Her mom is the manager at the Bank of America branch here in Forks. Don't tell her anything you don't want everyone in town to know."

I nodded, I knew when to keep my mouth shut most of the time, but I was a terrible liar. It was better not to say anything than try and invent stories. There were fewer details to keep track of that way.

"Angela Weber is a good girl. Her father is a Presbyterian minister and runs one of the local churches. Her family lives down the street from us. She has two little brothers in grade school, and her mom works at the daycare center."

"Ok, what about the other girl, Lauren? She didn't seem too friendly."

"The Mallory's have had some tough times. It's probably affecting her. Her father walked out on Lauren and her mom when he lost his job at the mill a couple of years ago. Her mom has a decent job at the grocery store in town, but she's made some questionable choices about the men she's brought into their lives. They live in one of the trailer parks north of the high school off of Callawah Way."

"Ok…"

"Don't let her get you in trouble, Bella. I have no reason to suspect Lauren of anything, but I know there's a lot of drug traffic out in those trailer parks. People have to get by as best they can, but they usually end up using it if they sell it."

"That's not really my thing, Charlie…" I lied. I'd done some experimenting, but nothing hardcore. Just a little weed a couple of times…

"Uh huh… Everybody tries something once. I'll admit; I smoked a little pot when I was in high school and college, but meth is bad news. You're old enough to make your own decisions. Make good choices."

I nodded. That was my basic plan. I had enough trouble to worry about without getting mixed up in something stupid.

"How did Lauren and Jessica end up as friends? They don't seem like the sort that would end up hanging out together."

"It's a small town, Bella. They've been in the same class since they were in kindergarten together. How much money your parents make doesn't matter so much to little kids on the playground. It starts to matter when you grow up, and realize what money can buy, but they were already friends by then."

"I guess… So small school? How small?"

"There are only sixty-eight seniors and sixty-five juniors in the high school. Well, sixty-six now. Maybe three hundred and fifty-odd kids altogether. The sophomore and freshman classes are bigger. Colder winters those years… It isn't like a big urban high school with thousands of students. You'll know everyone in your class by their first name by the end of the first week."

God… that was a scary thought.

"And I'm supposed to blend in and be inconspicuous? How the hell am I supposed to pull that off? I haven't even been to high school since I was a freshman, and I didn't even last out the year!"

"Just act normal and be yourself. You'll make friends, and people will accept you for who you are."

"You haven't been to high school for a very long time, have you? Nobody accepts you for who you are. Not in this reality."

Charlie chuckled. "They're just teenagers, Bella. Just be yourself and you'll be fine."

"People die when I just act like myself... So what did you tell Billy and Jacob about us at Walmart?"

"The same thing I told the people at the Diner. That your mother passed away and you're my daughter who's come to live with me."

"Jacob was cool. He seems like a nice kid, but Billy didn't really seem to accept me..."

"My wife, Mary, was Billy's cousin. Billy's family, Jacob and his sisters have been like my nieces and nephew since they were babies. I changed their diapers and I've been a part of their lives since they were born. I've known Billy my whole life, Bella. Of course he's going to be a little distant when I introduce you as my daughter after being part of his family for all these years. I was married to his cousin after all. She was close, like his sister, and you aren't her daughter. He knows you're older than that relationship, but it's natural for him to wonder.

"He knew your mother when we were dating. He helped me search for her but we never found anything."

That was an interesting bit of information. I wondered if Billy had really shared everything that he'd found out with Charlie when he helped him search for Renee all those years ago. I wondered how much he'd kept to himself. Maybe he hadn't wanted his friend to find her all those years ago,

"I met another guy from their tribe named Sam Uley when you were going to get the car. He seemed outright hostile when he saw me talking to Jacob."

"Really? That's odd. I know Sam Uley. He's on the Tribal Council out in La Push now. They don't have an official police force on the reservation, but Sam's about as close to a Chief of Police as they have out there. He runs what they call the Protectors for the Quileute Tribe. The tribe is an officially recognized Native American people and their reservation is sovereign territory recognized by the federal government. I have no jurisdiction out there, but I consult and help them out from time to time."

"Ok... Anything strange going on out in La Push that you know about?"

"Strange how? There's a couple of resorts out there. They get some surfer crowds during the season, but the Protectors keep them in line and maintain order. Every once in a while we have a hiker disappear in the woods, but the boys from La Push make a hell of a search and rescue squad and either find them or haul out the remains. There is quite a bit of wildlife in the forest around here. We get our share of wolves, bear and mountain lions, but they never come close to town."

"Sam knows about us, Charlie. At least he knows about me and Renee, and he knows the government is hunting me, so it's safe to think he suspects something about you too. They might figure you were safe to have around because you never manifested any abilities after the Lot 6 experiment didn't appear to affect you. He told me to stay away from La Push so I don't attract attention to them when the agents show up to come looking for me. He threatened to make a phone call and tip them off if I don't stay away from La Push. I think Billy knows too."

"Damn...! They knew all about this too, and they never said anything to me?! Do you think they know what really killed Mary?"

"I doubt it, or they would have said something, Charlie. Billy wouldn't let his own cousin die just to protect some secret, would he? You know what kind of man he is. I just met him today."

"I can't believe they'd just let her die without warning us what was happening. I can't believe he'd do that… Do you want me to talk to Billy about Sam? I can try to find out what's going on. He's the head of the Tribal Council. In an earlier age he would have been their Chief..."

"No. I don't know how much they know you know yet. I don't want to make things hard for you and your friends. I don't see any reason why I need to go to La Push for now. I'll stay away if it keeps the peace. They seem content to let me alone as long as I don't attract any attention to them. I'm just curious about what they're trying to hide."

"Huh... Well, there have always been tribal legends that claim the Quileute's are descended from wolves. Their legends have stories about the wolves that turn into men and walk on two legs. The spirit warriors that protected the tribe from their enemies in time of war, but nobody really believes those legends. They're just old stories they tell around the campfire at night to pass on their oral history from one generation to the next."

"There are other shifters out there, Charlie, if that's what they're hiding in La Push. Some are shape shifters. Other shifters can change an object into something else for a while, like turning a blank piece of paper into a hundred dollar bill, but it doesn't last forever. Shape shifting is something the Shop would be interested in studying if they found out about them. I can see why they'd want to keep it quiet if they have a stable meta-human genetic mutation in the tribe that allows them to shape shift."

"Shape shifting?! Stable meta-whatsit… What? What are you saying? I don't understand."

"Not everyone that has an ability or enhancement was caused by the Shop or the other divisions messing around with human genetics, Charlie. The Nazi's started the research back in World War II, but they found naturally occurring people with abilities to study at first. Sometimes abilities happen in nature. It's how all of this got started in the first place. That's how evolution works, but most of the time the changes are so subtle that you wouldn't even notice. Very rarely, there's a big change that manifests as an ability, but it's usually unstable and the mutant dies before it can pass on its genes. Very, very rarely, maybe one in a million shot, there's a stable mutation that survives and manifests a useful ability.

"That's what the Nazi's were looking for. They cracked the genetic code and came up with the first crude enhancer drugs to trigger meta-human mutation to force abilities to manifest. Their research got snapped up after the war by the Divisions. The Shop was our governments division that was tagged with developing that research and carrying on with it. They're hunting me to clean up the mess they made with the Lot 6 experiments, but they still hunt stable meta-human genetic mutation as basic research subjects. Finding a stable meta-human genetic mutation is like striking gold for them. If they found a whole community with a stable meta-human genetic mutation, it's a bigger priority to them than killing me."

"That's good to know, but there's no way I'm giving up the Quileute's to them. Like I said, they're family."

I nodded as we pulled into the driveway, and I parked the car. I agreed with Charlie. There was no way I'd give up Jacob and his people, just to save my own skin. We got out and opened the trunk and we started hauling the bags inside. I went right up the stairs and laid my new things on my bed. Charlie followed me up and deposited his load of bags. It only took us a couple of trips to haul everything in.

Charlie was putting away the stuff for the house downstairs in the kitchen, so I rummaged through the bags, and found a new pair of jeans and my new sneakers. I quickly stripped off the store tags and changed into the brand new jeans, and then put on the new sneakers. I pitched the old shoes in the trash with the stickers and tags, and then went down the hall to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I went back to my room and stood in front of the vanity to touch up my makeup, and then grabbed my purse to go back downstairs. I could put the rest away later when I got home.

"Ok, Charlie, I guess I'm going to go…" I said when I got to the bottom of the stairs.

Charlie walked out of the kitchen and he had his wallet out. "Do you have any money, Bella?" Charlie asked.

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, and I knew I was blushing. "Umm… No, but there's gas in the car, and we just ate… I can just hang out and get to know people…"

"Here," Charlie handed me a couple of twenty dollar bills. "You might want to bowl or have a pop. We'll work something out later so you have some pocket money, but this should get you by for tonight."

I took the cash from Charlie, folded it and slipped it into my purse. "Umm… Thanks… I don't want to be a burden on you. You're being so nice to me… Thanks, Charlie…"

"You're not a burden, you're my daughter. Stay safe. If you go anywhere else, call me, ok? You know how to get to the bowling alley, right?"

"I saw the sign down the street when we drove home. It's a couple of blocks down past where we had dinner, right?"

"That's the place. Umm… Bella? You're still carrying the piece?"

"Yeah…"

"Leave it in the car, ok?"

"Umm… alright. You're sure we're safe here, right? If I don't have the pistol, I'll have to use my powers if I have to defend myself. That's sure to attract attention."

"They're just teenagers like you, Bella. You aren't going to have to defend yourself."

"Yeah, right... teenagers… You go on a date with a teenaged boy, and then we'll talk about having to defend yourself or not…"

Charlie chuckled. "Somehow I don't think that's going to be an issue tonight. Midnight, right?"

"Yeah, midnight's cool. I'll see you later." I closed the door behind myself as I stepped out onto the porch.

I walked across the lawn and got into the Monte Carlo. It was still too surreal to think of it as mine. I sat there and thought about what Charlie had said, and then I reached into my purse and took out the holstered pistol. I reached between my legs and clipped the holster to the bottom of the seat so I could still quickly drab the butt to draw the gun, but it wouldn't slide around if I had to hit the brakes or drive fast to avoid other cars.

I turned on the radio as I backed out of the driveway, and then hit scan until I found a good rock station. I listened to a lot of different music, but alternative and progressive rock were my favorites. A song came on that I liked, and I cranked up the volume as I drove across town to the bowling alley.

Jessica's car was easy to spot when I pulled into the parking lot. There was an open parking place next to her so I pulled in and parked next to her car. The parking lot wasn't overly crowded, but there were plenty of cars in the lot. Most of them were older late model cars, pickups and SUV's. I saw a blue and black minivan and some sports cars. There was a shiny silver Volvo, but the standout was a yellow Porsche 911 turbo. That was worth some bucks. Charlie had said Jessica was pretty well off, but she drove a beater. I wondered who had more money than the Stanley's and weren't afraid to show it.

I took a deep breath and steeled my resolve. If I pulled this off, this would make the first day of school easier. I could meet some people so I wouldn't be a completely new face on Monday morning. I screwed down my courage, and got out of the car to go inside. I walked up to the double glass doors and glanced inside as I pushed them open. The entire area inside was dimly lit with subdued lighting apart from the actual lanes, but the open sign was on so I went in.

There wasn't much to see from the doorway. The pro shop was closed, but there were displays of bowling balls and shoes in the window. There was a teenage boy behind the counter where you went to rent bowling shoes or get a lane to bowl. He looked eighteen or nineteen and seemed to perk up when I walked in. I was sorry to disappoint him, but I wasn't interested and walked past the counter into the main open promenade above the bowling alley lanes.

I didn't see the girls bowling, but there were a couple of groups with kids my age down on the lanes. It looked like there was a video game arcade to the left, and pool tables and air hockey to the right. There appeared to be a lounge before you got to the pool table area, and a more brightly lit seating or concession area. I doubted the girls would be in the arcade, so I went to the right.

I finally spotted the girls I'd met after dinner sitting with a larger group of kids in the more brightly lit concession area. When I say 'more brightly lit', I meant it wasn't darkened like the lounge. I would have needed a flash light to find my way around in there. This section was just plain dimly lighted, like somebody had turned down the dimmer switch to set the mood. Music was playing on a jukebox, and there was a concession counter at the back of the room.

There were a lot of kids in there and I was having second thoughts about whether or not this was a good idea. Jessica bounced up from her seat and dashed over to meet me before I could change my mind and chicken out. "Bella, you came! C'mon, I want to introduce you to my friends!" she exclaimed and grabbed my hand, dragging me across to where they were all sitting.

"Sure, Jess, That's fine…" I said as I watched my feet so I wouldn't trip over something in the subdued lighting.

"Hey everyone, this is Bella Swan." Jessica announced to the table and anyone in the bowling alley that cared to listen. She didn't seem to understand the distinction between indoor voice and outdoor voice as she announced me to the world in general. "She just moved to Forks to live with her dad. She's going to start school on Monday as a junior."

There were five or six guys sitting at the table, and I could practically feel their eyes on me as they looked me up and down, checking me out. I must have met with their approval from the smiles that graced their faces. There were a couple more girls I hadn't met yet either. They seemed friendly enough, but I could tell they saw me as competition. That just so wasn't an issue. Guys were the last thing on my mind right now.

Jessica shared my back story and told them I'd recently lost my mom in a car accident. There were general condolences, and then she made the round of introductions. Sara was blond haired and blue eyed and seemed friendly enough in an indifferent sort of way. Haley seemed nice. She had shoulder length medium brown hair and glasses. Michaela had long straight brown hair like me and two chocolate brown eyes. She was maybe an inch taller than me and more solidly built, but not heavy by any means. She just had a more athletic figure where I felt I was just plain too thin. Unfortunately it was just too hard for me to gain any weight unless I was going to sit and stuff my face twenty-four seven.

I was really surprised that nobody had commented on my eyes yet, but I wasn't about to point them out to anybody if they wanted to ignore them. Of course it was dark in the bowling alley, and green and brown would be hard to distinguish in here. Jessica introduced all of the guys next.

Tyler was tall, tan and muscular, standing six foot one. He had brown hair and brown eyes, but he was sitting beside Lauren. She scooted closer and draped her arm around him possessively when Jessica introduced him.

Mike had pale blue eyes, blond hair, and a baby face. He was about five foot eleven and gave off that altogether good-looking impression that made girls weak in the knees and have naughty dreams at night. I could tell Mike was very popular at Forks High School, and he knew it too from the way he acted. I wouldn't call him stuck up, but more than a little confident and self assured that girls thought he was hot.

Ben was about five foot seven and had black hair, golden brown skin and dark brown almond shaped eyes. He was obviously of Asian descent although there were enough other races mixed in that it would be difficult to assign a specific ethnicity unless he claimed a particular ancestry. He was about five inches shorter than Angela, but I could see the adoration in her eyes when she looked at him. I wasn't sure if he realized how she felt, though. It was so typical for a guy to be oblivious about how a girl felt about him.

Austin was sitting beside Ben, and they looked like best friends, the way they shared private comments and laughed at each others jokes. Austin was about five foot eleven and had red hair and freckles, and blue eyes. He was big boned and kind of rangy looking as he got his height but hadn't really started to fill out yet. I could see him as the lumber jack that was probably in his genes and maybe the Viking explorer several centuries earlier.

Eric was obviously of Asian descent, but was easily recognized as ethnic Chinese stock. He stood six foot three inches tall with greasy hair 'as black as an oil slick' and brown eyes, but he suffered from a poor complexion. He was wearing very business-like clothes with a button down shirt and tie, and glasses with heavy plastic frames, but acted like he felt comfortable in them.

Conner had crystal blue eyes, light brown hair, and a more rugged look to his face than Mike. He was about five foot eleven and was muscular in an athletic cut sort of physique. He looked like he seriously worked out, but in a different sort of way than Tyler or Mike.

Jessica pulled me down to sit next to her. We had seats between Mike and Angela, with Mike sitting beside Jess, and Angela on my right. Given the choice, I probably would have gone to sit next to Connor, but he was sitting between Haley and Michaela.

I turned to Jessica, "Hey, Jess, can I get your number to add to my contacts? That is if you don't mind…"

"No, that's a great idea! Let me see your phone and I'll add my number." That started a flurry of activity around the table, and soon I had everyone's cell number in my phone. After a couple of minutes, things settled down again.

"So, Bella, do you play any sports?" Mike asked, leaning past Jessica to talk to me. She seemed annoyed with Mike, but tried not to let it show.

"Me? No, I've never gone out for any sports. I'm strictly a spectator. You guys can play the sports; I'll just root for you to win."

"That's cool. Me and Tyler and Austin are all on the basketball team. Conner down there is on the wrestling team."

"Yeah, you're on the team, but we're still in the fall break between seasons," Michaela said. "We're all practicing, but games don't start until the first week in December. You can still sign up if you want to play basketball, Bella. Haley, Angela and I are all on the girl's basketball team."

My god, had I hooked up with the High School jocks crew? I wasn't at all athletically inclined, and I had no intention of playing a sport, but then not everyone was going out for a sport. They hadn't mentioned Ben or Eric. Jessica, Lauren and Sara didn't appear to be playing a sport, or at least they didn't sound like they were playing basketball. I wasn't sure what other sports seasons were about to start their winter seasons.

"Umm… no thanks… I'm really more of a spectator. What about you Jessica, and Lauren and Sara, do you guys play basketball too?"

Jessica laughed, "Eww, god no! My mom would literally have a cow if I asked her if I could go out for some kind of sports team! Lauren and I are basketball cheerleaders, and Sara is one of the wrestling cheerleaders."

"Oh…" I sighed. This was worse than I thought. I'd managed to hook up with the jocks and the cheerleaders.

"So what about Eric and Ben, do you guys wrestle too?" I asked.

There was a general roar of laughter at the table as though I'd told a hilarious joke, although I noticed the two guys mentioned weren't laughing, and seemed to squirm a little uncomfortably as their general lack of athletic prowess was brought to the forefront of the discussion.

Angela was quick to come to Ben's defense, though. "Ben is the manager for the wrestling team. That's an important role too. He keeps track of all their stats, and works with the coaches to help the wrestlers pick the best strategies to beat their opponents." She made the job sound important, and he smiled at her. I was pretty sure it entailed more picking up their dirty towels, helping roll out the mats for practice and keeping stats at the scoring tables, but I didn't say anything.

Eric spoke up in his own defense too. "My parents wouldn't let me go out for basketball because of my asthma. I'm the president of the audio visual club and I videotape all the basketball games and wrestling meets so we have films for the coaches to use as a training tool during practice."

That was actually probably pretty good experience and a valuable service to the teams if he was any good. All these kids might be laughing at him now, but he was probably getting a more useful skill out of this experience than any of these other kids. In the long run down the road of life, practical experience as a cameraman or videographer was going to be more useful and would buy more beans than saying I had a 15 and 5 basketball season my junior year in high school.

"So you guys are all kind of into sports or cheerleaders?" Jessica and Angela both nodded as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

They seemed like nice enough kids, but I knew I had to get away before I got sucked into the world of high school sports along with them. The only way I'd fit in with this crowd was if I told them I wanted to get on a team or heaven forbid, join the cheerleading squad. Maybe turning myself in to the Shop wasn't such a bad idea after all… They only wanted to kill me…

I turned to Angela. "So, there's more at this entertainment center than just a bowling alley, right? Let's explore. Do you and Ben want to show me around?"

Angela seemed startled, but then smiled and nodded as she turned to Ben. He turned a little pink, but nodded. I got out of my seat and Angela and Ben got up too.

Jessica seemed startled that I was leaving so fast. "Wait, Bella… I thought we were going to hang out…"

"We will. I just want to see the rest of the entertainment center. I'll be back. We can bowl. Why don't you see who wants to bowl and get us a couple of lanes?" I quickly turned away to leave before Jessica could protest and strode away from the table. Angela followed me, and grabbed Ben's hand to drag him along.

"You really aren't interested in playing sports at all, are you?" Angela said when we were out of earshot of the table. She was smiling and seemed generally interested in my opinion. She didn't seem to take it as an affront to the natural order of the universe that I wasn't interested in playing a sport so I felt at ease telling her the truth.

I sighed. "Is it that obvious? Jessica and Mike seem nice enough, but I really don't want to alienate the first group of kids I meet here. I don't play any sports, and I don't have any interest in joining a team, but it seems important to them…"

"There's not a whole lot else to do otherwise here in Forks and the teams get to travel out of town to go to games. Not everyone plays sports here, Bella. You don't have to if that's not your thing," Angela said. "Of course, Jessica and Lauren were talking about an open spot on the wrestling cheerleader squad. Jessica said you were pretty enough to be a cheerleader and Lauren was nasty about it, but that's just who she is. We're used to her attitude after knowing her for so many years. You can ask Sara about it if you're interested…"

"Umm… No… Thank you. You wouldn't be offended if I said I'd rather gnaw off my own foot before I'd go out for cheerleader, would you?"

Ben laughed. "I know what you mean, but this little town can get awfully boring without something to break up the monotony. Manager of the wrestling team might not sound so glamorous, but I get to travel with the team and see other towns and schools. Most of them are too far away to drive to without any reason to go there."

"How far away?" I asked.

"Our closest away game is a two hour drive each way. Most of them are farther away. Usually we have to leave school early to drive to them, and then we don't get back until early in the morning. If a wrestling meet ends at ten o'clock, and we have a four hour drive, we don't get back until two or three in the morning."

"God, that's late! You can't fly, or get a room for the night?"

"For the whole team? This is high school, Bella. We're lucky to have any teams and a budget to travel to away games at all. The insurance is too high to fly the team, plus we'd have to charter a bus to get from the airport to the school. It's cheaper to drive and just get back really late. A lot of the kids arrange sleep-overs to carpool to the school and make it easier on their parents so they don't all have to show up pick up their kids at the school when we get back into town. You get used to sleeping on the bus after a while."

I shook my head as we walked through the entertainment center. I'd spent more than a few days on a bus recently, and I knew how bad it could get. And that was a relatively nice new bus that was set up to carry passengers for long trips. I couldn't imagine what four hours each way on a school bus would be like.

We turned the corner and walked into the video game arcade. We'd been heading in this direction without consciously thinking about it as we walked and chatted. It seemed like the logical place to start exploring the rest of the entertainment center. At least it was on the other side of the building from Jessica and Lauren and the jocks and cheerleaders.

"I love coming in here," Ben said.

Angela and I both looked at him kind of funny I guess. "Really?" I asked. Maybe it was a guy thing.

"Sure, I love these old games. You can play a lot of these games for free at home, but a console game on your TV just doesn't have the same feel and the atmosphere is all wrong. C'mon, Ang, you wanna play doubles on centipede?" Ben asked.

Angela gave him an endearing, slightly patronizing grin, but she didn't really roll her eyes. I could tell she was more interested in spending time with Ben than playing a video game, but it was something they could do together so she let him lead her away. I decided to browse through the arcade and see what there was to see before I moved on. I figured bowling was next on the agenda with Jessica's crew. I just hoped it didn't turn awkward and I could still make some friends before school started. Angela seemed nice, but she was kind of wrapped up in Ben tonight, and I didn't want to get in her way.

I rounded the corner of the aisle and sort of half-way recognized the group of kids gathered around a couple of video games, although I hadn't met the ones I could see. They all had the same general look, russet colored skin, long black hair in ponytails or loose. They looked like the people I'd met today in Sequim from the Quileute reservation. Most of them were boys, but at least one of the group was a girl. She was as tall as the boys and had an athletic build.

"Oh, I've got you now!" one of the boys exclaimed. "I am so gonna kick your ass, Jake!"

Jake? I knew a Jake. Jacob Black was Billy's son. I'd chatted with him at Walmart. He'd seemed friendly enough, despite his dad and Sam's reaction to me. I wondered what they'd said to him.

No way, Quil, you're going down!" Jacob yelled and I recognized his voice.

There were two boys at the game console, furiously working the controls while the others yipped and gave advice and encouragement while they fought their electronic battle. The game ended with a flash of light and victorious music. Jacob pumped his fist in the air, claiming victory.

"I want a re-match!" The other boy yelled.

"No way, another boy said. "I called dibs on the next game."

"Fine, I'll just have to beat Jake later then, but I want a re-match."

The group spread out and another boy took Jacob's place at the video game. Jacob had a huge grin on his face and turned to look at one of his buddies. I suppose that was when he noticed me watching them. His grin got even bigger as he made eye contact with me.

I really took a good look at Jacob now. We'd spent some time together at Walmart, but I hadn't really seen him then. He was just Charlie's best friend's son and some kid I'd just met. I hadn't realized just how big Jacob really was. He towered over me and was actually kind of cute in a rugged outdoorsy kind of way. He was totally cut and looked like he seriously worked out. I was intrigued by the way his muscles seemed to ripple under his skin when he moved. For some reason I couldn't quite fathom, I wanted run my hands over those muscles and feel them move.

For some inexplicable reason, I seemed attracted to Jacob, but I shook my head and pushed the feeling away. He was sixteen, after all, and a year younger than me. Besides, I didn't need guys complicating my life right now, and there was the whole Sam making threats thing hanging over my head. Sam was right. I shouldn't be dragging Jacob into the middle of all of this. I should stay away from him to keep him safe. There were dangerous people hunting me, and he'd get hurt if he was mixed up with me.

"Hey, Bella, Long time no see! C'mon over and let me introduce you to my boys."

"Boys?" The girl said with a sour expression on her face. She looked a little older than the rest of the group and now that I thought about it, she didn't look like she really wanted to be here.

"Oh, give it a rest, Leah. You know what I mean."

I walked over to the group a little sheepishly, and waved. "Hey…"

"Hey, everyone, this is Bella Swan. She's Charlie Swan's daughter, she's coming to live with him now."

"Charlie has a daughter? I didn't know he was married before he was married to Aunt Mary," one of the boys said.

"Umm… He wasn't. Charlie dated my mom when he was in college… She left before they got that far. I just found out Charlie was my dad last week…"

"How come your name is Swan then?" Another boy asked.

"It's what was on my birth certificate, but my mom never told me… The court said my name was Swan…"

"Guys, chill out! Bella's mom was just killed in a car wreck a couple of weeks ago. Charlie's all the family she's got left. You need to lighten up and cut her some slack. She's family now and we take care of our own," Jacob said.

"Family?" The girl, Leah, said, looking at me a little dubiously. I certainly didn't look like family with my too white pale skin.

"Yeah, family! Charlie's my uncle. He always will be as far as I'm concerned, and Bella's his daughter. He was married to my dad's cousin. That makes us cousins, even if we don't share blood." The guys seemed to accept that and seemed to accept me after Jacob vouched for me. The girl seemed more accepting now too.

"I'm sorry about your mom, Bella," she said. "Welcome to Forks, I'm Leah Clearwater," and she held out her hand to shake mine. I took her hand and her grip was warm and firm.

Then Leah turned and pointed out the youngest looking member of the group. "This is my little brother, Seth. He wanted to come with Jacob tonight, so my mom made me come to keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble…"

"Jeez, Leah, you make it sound like you're my baby sitter or something! I'm fifteen, and I can look out for myself. Just because you're three years older, you think you're so grown up!"

"Yeah, well I'm graduating this year, and you're still a freshman, so that's kind of like being a little kid. If I wasn't here, these yahoos would probably get you drunk on cheap beer and drop your ass in the lake or something. They won't pull that shit with me around."

"We'd never do anything like that!" One of the other guys said, but from the insincerity of the comment, it made you think something like that had happened before.

"Yeah, right, Leah, and how many times have you come rolling in at dawn smelling like a brewery to spend the day sleeping it off?"

Leah gave him a dangerous looking scowl. "Not for a long time, Quil, got it? That doesn't happen anymore."

"Hey, let me introduce my friends, Bella," Jacob said in an obvious effort to lighten the mood. Apparently something had happened with Leah and beer that they didn't want to talk about.

"Bella, this is Quil Atera and Embry Call. We all go to school together at La Push out on the reservation…"

"Dude, we do everything together," Embry said. "La Push isn't even a quarter of the size of Forks. There's nothing there unless you want to fish or surf. We have to come into Forks for excitement, and people leave here to find something to do."

"I told you we should have gone to the movies in Port Angeles," Quil said.

"Dude, there was nothing playing but some zombie gore fest and a chick flick. You were seriously gonna drive two hours for that?" Embry asked incredulously.

"No…, guess not. Welcome to exciting Forks, family bowling, vintage video games, air hockey and pool. Whoo hoo, the excitement never stops! Not! At least you don't care anymore if you can score enough beer to numb your mind to the boredom."

Personally, I had had enough of excitement to last a lifetime. Nice boring Forks sounded like heaven to me. Adventure was somebody in a world of shit too far from home and wishing their life was so boring and mundane, but you had to live it to appreciate this. No wonder boys went off to join the army. If they survived the experience, they could live like this and appreciate the peace and quiet for the rest of their lives.

"I wouldn't mind a couple of those beers, but not tonight. Charlie's expecting me home by midnight, and I just moved here. To be honest, I don't mind the lack of excitement at all right now. I've had enough excitement in my life to last a good long while. I just want to go to school, graduate, and pick a decent college to go to, preferably someplace sunny and warm like Florida or Hawaii."

"Hey, my sister lives in Hawaii," Jacob said. "She married a surfer and moved there with him."

"Really, is she happy?"

"Oh yeah, she's ecstatic, but my dad wasn't too stoked at first. He had her all setup to go to University of Washington, and she just blows it off to run off with this surfer dude who was in town for the season in La Push."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… She blew off college to get married? How old was she?"

"Eighteen. That's why my dad couldn't say anything. He tried to stop it, but Rebecca met Solomon and it was like love at first sight. He's a professional surfer and travels all over the world to compete in surfing competitions. Now she lives in Hawaii and she's an artist like my mom."

"I guess that's cool if she's happy… I could never do anything like that. I'm never going to get married or have kids. There's too much shit wrong with this world to bring a kid into it… So is your mom happy for your sister?"

"I like to think so… Mom isn't with us anymore, Bella. My mom was killed in a car wreck too, so I know what it's like, but it was a long time ago. We were all little when it happened…"

"I'm so sorry, Jacob! You don't have to talk about it… I didn't know…"

"It's ok, Bella. It gets easier with time…"

I nodded. I had to accept what he was saying was true if he was speaking from experience. I couldn't imagine it getting any easier, but I had to go on. Renee would expect me to keep living my life, and I owed it to her to make sure her sacrifice wasn't in vain.

"So, what brings you to the entertainment center tonight?" Jacob asked to change the subject. "Are you stalking me? I don't mind keeping you company if you want to hang out for a while..."

"Umm... Actually, I met some girls from Forks at dinner, and they invited me to come down here to hang out with them. I wanted to explore the rest of the bowling alley, so I was looking around."

Then I remembered my phone. Jacob had asked me for my number earlier today, but I hadn't owned a phone then. I didn't want him to think I'd lied to him to avoid giving him my number.

"Hey, after you guys left Sequim today Charlie got me a cell phone, so I have a number now. Do you still want it? I asked.

"Sure, that's cool," and Jacob added his number to my phone and added my number to his contacts.

"So, what are you and your friends up to next?" He asked when we had exchanged numbers.

"I told Jessica to see about getting a couple of lanes so we could bowl..."

"Bowling's cool. Do you have a partner? Maybe we could team up?"

That wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it would get me away from direct contact with the jocks and cheerleaders. If I'd had a choice, I would have teamed up with Conner, but who was I kidding? Haley and Michaela had clearly staked their claim, and I was the new girl moving into town. Besides, I didn't know anything about him except that he wrestled and he was cute. I suppose I was attracted to the muscles more than anything else, but I couldn't get to know him if I didn't talk to him.

I was about to tell Jacob I'd think about it when Jessica and Mike walked into the arcade. "There you are, Bella. I was wondering where you went."

I turned to Jessica. "Hey, Jess... Angela and Ben wanted to play a video game together, so we came down here..."

"That's cool... So, you made some more friends?" Jessica asked, looking over Jacob and his friends from the reservation.

"Sure... Jessica, this is Jacob Black. His family is friends with my dad. Jacob, this is Jessica and Mike."

"Nice to meet you," Jacob said, shaking hands with Jessica and Mike, but even I could feel the tension, as though they already knew about each other, but had never actually met. It just seemed odd to me that two groups of people who lived so close together wouldn't interact more, but apparently they didn't often mix socially.

"Bella said you were going to bowl. I volunteered to team up with her."

"Yes, bowling! How about you, Jess? Bowling?" I looked past her at Mike. "Mike, do you want to team up with Jessica?" That got a smile from Jessica as I suggested they should be a team.

I managed to get the conversation turned away from sports and cheerleading and the obvious social tension between the Forks kids and the La Push crew to bowling and who was teaming up with whom. Angela and Ben found us and we went back up to the front counter. We rented shoes and got a couple of lanes. There were twelve of us that wanted to bowl in the end, so we ended up with three teams on each lane. The pairings didn't quite work out the way I'd hoped. Most of the couples seemed to be already paired off, and to make matters worse, Eric bowed out and said he had to go. Sara decided to sit out too, and hung out with the rest of the kids up at the tables while the rest of us bowled.

Jacob and I ended up on one lane with Jessica and Mike, and Lauren and Tyler. Angela and Ben, Haley and Austin, and Michaela and Conner ended up on the next lane over. Jessica sat down at the scoring table and started typing our names into the computer.

Jacob grabbed my hand and dragged me away. "C'mon, Bella, let's go look for balls," he said, as he led me back to the racks of bowling balls that lined the back of the lanes. We didn't just go behind where we were bowling, but he led me further away out of earshot of the rest of our group.

"I know Sam talked to you at Walmart today..." Jacob started. "What did he tell you? I heard part of it, Bella."

I shrugged. "He warned me off and told me to stay away from La Push. I guess he thinks I'm some sort of bad influence. He told me to stay away from you."

"Goddamn it! Sam needs to mind his own business and leave me alone. I try to ignore Sam when I can. He's got this whole tribal pride thing going on, and doesn't want to 'dilute our racial ethnicity' with outside influences. I swear, if it was up to him, he'd shut out the outside world and stop any visitors from even coming to La Push at all. You don't have to stay away, Bella. I'll get Billy to talk to him."

"I don't want to cause trouble for you, Jacob..."

"Sam Uley has a lot of nerve pulling this tribal identity bullshit. A couple of years ago, he was nothing but a snot nosed hell raiser punk. He practically got kicked off the reservation, and ran away to Seattle for a year. I hear he hooked up with some street gang and was a gang banger thug when he ran away from home."

"Really? That doesn't seem at all like the guy I met at Walmart today... Charlie said he was like the police chief out there..."

"I know, it's insane, isn't it? He was like a total loser thug and then disappears for a year. Then one day he shows up out of the blue and just comes back. I figured he was back to start recruiting guys to start a gang of his own on the reservation. You hear stories about Indian gangs on the reservations out in the Midwest and the Dakotas. It seemed a lot like that at first. He collected a crew of dudes that do everything he tells them to... And they're all totally buffed like him. I don't know, maybe they're all on drugs or steroids or something..."

"So, he's running a gang out of La Push? Do they leave the reservation to pull jobs or get into trouble?"

"No... I don't think so... That's the weird part... They didn't cause any trouble in La Push or act like a street gang after Sam came back. It was the opposite of that if anything. It's more like they're hall monitors on steroids or something. Maybe describing it as a cult is better. They're all into our history and the tribal legends. It's weird..."

It didn't seem so weird to me, knowing what I did. If the Quileutes had a stable meta-human mutation in their gene pool, it wasn't uncommon for it to skip a generation or two. Somehow it had triggered in Sam Uley, and he was either triggering it in other members of the tribe, or it was simply manifesting in this generation. If this was something that their ancestors had experienced, it would make sense that they would turn to their history for advice.

"Yeah... That's strange..." I mused, going along with him.

"I know! The next thing you know, the tribal council is fawning over him like he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. They offered him a seat on the council, and now he's one of the leaders of the tribe!"

"Well, if he's on the tribal council, doesn't that make him like part of your government or something? I don't want to cause trouble for you..."

"Sam has no right to be ordering anyone around. The council appointed him as leader of the protectors, but he's got no official power. Hell, I outrank him as far as the tribe hierarchy goes. Just because he's a couple of years older than me he thinks he can order people around..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold the phone there! A couple of years older than you? He totally looks like he's twenty-five or thirty years old! That's more than a couple of years, Jake..."

"Sam's eighteen, Bella. He'll turn nineteen next summer. Hell, he's the same age as Leah. They used to date before he went nuts and ran off to Seattle."

"...Ok... Eighteen? Seriously? What the hell happened to him?"

Jacob shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. The legends talk about it, but they're legends, right?" Then Jacob turned to look back at the lane we were using. "We better get back. I think Jessica is getting impatient to start."

I glanced back and saw Jessica staring at us. She had a smirk on her face as she watched us and winked at me before turning back to the scoring computer. We really spent some time looking for bowling balls after that, and quickly returned to the group with our selections.

Jessica had the teams entered and they had already started by the time Jacob and I got back to the lane. I changed into my bowling shoes, and we took our turns trying to knock down the pins. This wasn't something I had great skill at, but I did my best and we had fun. At least I didn't throw any gutter balls, but my technique left a lot to be desired. I could proudly say I didn't do any worse that Jessica or Lauren. Jacob was actually pretty good, but Mike and Tyler killed us. We laughed and made jokes. The other lane ended up beating our combined score, so we decided to go again.

Leah came over after we bowled the first game. She looked bored and was ready to go home. Apparently Jacob had driven and he was their ride home.

"I've had enough of Forks, Jake. I've watched as many video games as I can stand for one night. I'm ready to go home. Can we leave now?"

"I'm still bowling, Leah. Can you hang out for one more game?"

"Not really. I told mom we'd be home early. We need to head back now so I can get Seth home before his curfew."

"I'm not ready to leave yet, Leah." Jacob told her.

Leah looked at me then, sizing me up again, and then looked back at Jacob. "You know you've got no chance at all?"

"Let it go, Leah. I'll let you know when I'm ready to leave."

Then Leah turned to me. "You've got a car, right?"

"Yeah..."

"You want to drive Jacob home if he lets me have his keys?"

I glanced at Jacob, and then looked back at Leah. "Sure, I can give Jake a ride when we're done..."

"Thanks," Leah said, and then turned back to Jacob. "Give me your keys, and I'll drive the guys home."

"Leah..."

"Just give me the keys. You can thank me later. I did tell you that you've got no chance at all, right?"

Jacob reached into his pocket and tossed her his keys. "Fine, get out of here before I have to kick your ass all the way back to La Push."

Leah snagged the keys out of the air and laughed as she turned to walk away. "Sure, Black, In your dreams. I'll believe that when I see it.

"Seth! We're leaving! Anyone who's not in the truck when I drive away is walking or catching a ride with Swan!" Leah yelled as she strode towards the door. The rest of the boys from La Push hightailed it toward the door in a hurry. I assumed Leah wasn't kidding when she said she'd leave them behind. They all obviously believed her.

None of the other kids commented on the byplay, but Jessica did look speculatively between me and Jacob for a minute before she got up to bowl. She obviously thought something was going on, but there was nothing to speculate about. Jacob was a nice guy, and Charlie thought of him as family. There was no reason we couldn't be friends, but that was as far as this was going.

We settled in to bowl, and I looked around to see what was going on around us. There was another group of teenagers a couple of lanes down from us that looked like they were about the same age, although I hadn't seen any of them mixing with the crowd from Forks high school. I couldn't help staring once I noticed them. They were all very beautiful and seemed to captivate my attention. Jessica caught me staring, and turned to see what I was looking at, but then she just turned back to bowling and didn't say anything. It was like she inexplicably lost interest in the other group of kids and just went back to ignoring them.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I had to ask her. "Who are those people bowling down there on that other lane, Jessica? Do they go to school with us too?"

Jessica did a double take and looked around the room like she didn't know what I was talking about, and then finally seemed to almost see something when I held up my hand and pointed. I had an Idea what was going on. I'd seen Renée pull off something like this before, but not on this level. It almost made me think there was a pusher working the room, and whoever it was, they were good. It was like somebody was controlling the room so nobody noticed the group of kids bowling on the other lane. I wrapped a shield around Jessica. Suddenly she seemed to blink as she realized where I was pointing.

"Oh!" Jessica said, sounding startled. Her eyes seemed to focus as she saw what I was pointing at.

"Those are the Cullens... I didn't realize they were here tonight..." She seemed to shake herself, and then continued. "None of them are actually named Cullen, but Dr. Cullen and his wife run a group home outside of town. They're all their foster kids. A couple of the guys on the wrestling squad live in their group home here in Forks. I hear their foster parents are pretty cool. Hell, I think they live better than a lot of the other kids at school…"

"Wow, that's nice, I guess. I really wasn't looking forward to foster care. I guess I got lucky." That was a lie of course. I never would have gone into foster care, regardless of what happened to Renee. I would have simply been on my own if she hadn't sent me to live with Charlie.

There were two girls and three boys. They were kind of hard to miss, and immediately captivated my attention once I spotted them. The one tiny little girl was cuddled into the big blond guy's side, and he had his arm around her waist as he held her close. They were obviously a couple from the way they sat and looked at each other. The other couple was a huge brawny looking guy, sitting with his arm around a statuesque looking blond with super model looks. I hadn't really gotten a good look at the third boy sitting beyond the one huge looking guy.

Jessica's voice caught my attention and I studied them as while she spoke.

"The little black haired girl is Alice Brandon. She could have totally had the spot as captain of the wrestling cheer leading squad, but she turned it down. I hear she wants to be a fashion designer and go to design school or be a personal shopper or something after she graduates. The big blond guy is her boyfriend, Jasper Whitlock. He's on the wrestling team, and seriously kicks ass."

The smaller girl was a very beautiful person, petite and very short. She couldn't have been more than about four foot ten, almost pixie-like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was deep black, cut short and barely coming to her shoulders, but it looked cute on her. She had large eyes that were an incredible soft violet and long, delicate eyebrows.

The boy, or rather young man looked almost too old to be in high school. He was six foot three and muscular but lean with golden honey blond hair and the most extraordinary looking golden topaz eyes. I had researched eye color due to my own fairly uncommon condition, and I knew yellow eyes existed in nature. They were perhaps rarer than my condition, and if experience was any guide, they were an indicator of mutation too. It looked like he had a thin scar running from the corner of his eye, across his left cheek and along his jaw line that made him look kind of dangerous.

"Yeah, I kind of figured they were a couple..."

Jessica nodded enthusiastically. "I know! They're together, and they live together..."

"They're not related, Jess. So they live in a group home. That doesn't mean anything is going on..."

"Yeah, sure... They're all over each other, Bella..."

"Fine, so who are the rest of them?"

"The big one is Emmett McCarty. He's a senior, and owns the heavyweight slot on the wrestling squad. He's a line backer on our football team too. We thought we were going to go to state this year with him on the team, but he was out a lot with injuries…

I had to admit I was a little scared and intimidated by the big guy sitting next to Jasper. He was an absolutely hulking huge dark-haired guy that had to be at least six foot five. He had broad shoulders and massive muscles on top of muscles like a serious body builder, but a round baby face with dimples, and curly dark brown hair, giving him a childlike look. He had a jovial air about him, like he loved to laugh, and he slapped Jasper on the back as he made some comment that made the rest of them all laugh.

He made Jasper look small sitting beside him, and Jasper wasn't a little guy. I'd seen high school wrestlers before, and usually the heavyweight class was a bunch of heavy kids, some of them just downright fat, but Emmett didn't look like he had an ounce of fat on him. He claimed the weight class because he was just huge.

Jessica continued speaking while I looked over the rest of the kids. "The blond girl is Rosalie Hale. I'm not really sure what her story is. She has a medical excuse so she doesn't have to take gym class, but she takes auto shop and metal shop and mechanical drawing, and all kinds of tech classes like that. I would have totally thought she was a dyke if she wasn't so into Emmett. They're totally like a couple and have been together since they moved here..."

Calling Rosalie drop dead gorgeous was an understatement and a disservice to her exquisite beauty. She was tall and statuesque, with an elegant figure like a magazine cover girl super model's or one of those sport-magazine-cover bikini models that made every girl that could see her take a hit on their self-esteem. She had long, wavy blond hair that hung down to the middle of her back and piercing crystal blue eyes. I imagined she looked amazing even wiping engine grease off of her hands. She was absolutely perfect, and I couldn't pick out a single flaw. She was almost too perfect and I couldn't seem to figure out how anyone could possibly be that good looking. Nobody human was that perfect.

"They moved here?" I asked, snapping out of my reverie. "So they're not from Forks then…"

"No, they moved here like two years ago. Alice and Edward started as freshmen, and the rest all transferred in as sophomores.

"Edward?" I asked. Suddenly the last Cullen stood up to bowl and turned to look in our direction, as though he'd heard me call his name. I quickly looked away, but my breath caught in that one instant when our eyes met across the room. He had to be the most beautiful boy I had ever seen.

He looked away almost as quickly as I did, and then he turned to speak to Alice and his profile was turned to me. My heart literally stopped and skipped a beat and then raced all the faster as though to make up for the lapse as I stared at the final Cullen. He had to be the physical incarnation of the Greek god, Adonis, made flesh and blood. He was pale like a lot of kids here in forks and his facial features were perfect and angular - high cheekbones, a strong jaw line, a straight nose and full lips. His hair was an unusual reddish brown bronze shade in a perfect messy disarray that made you just want to run your fingers through it, and his eyes were a mossy emerald green. He stood six foot two, and was slender but looked like he had hard defined muscles as I stared at his perfect body. He appeared more boyish than his two foster brothers who appeared to be a little older to me. He was wearing a tight light colored t-shirt, jeans and bowling shoes.

I had to take a couple of deep breaths to compose myself as I tried to calm down. I knew Jessica could probably sense how I was staring at him, and now my panties were damp as I felt that delicious curl wind tighter in my stomach. When I thought I could speak again without stuttering and make a coherent sentence come out of my mouth, I asked her about him.

"So the bronze haired boy is Edward?"

"Yes, he's Edward Masen. I think he's been with the Cullen's the longest. The others, Alice and Jasper, and Emmett and Rosalie are all together, together. Like couples, and they live together. Edward is still single though, but don't get your hopes up. He's dated a couple of girls here, but he's like super picky. Most of the girls here aren't good enough for him."

Edward turned to look in my direction again when I spoke his name, as though he knew we were talking about him, but he was too far away to have heard us speak. Regardless, I felt his eyes on me boring into mine as he studied me in return. The look of frustrated curiosity was quickly replaced with a smoldering look that spoke of raw undisguised lust. I probably wore the same expression on my face as I stared back into his brilliant green eyes. It surprised me that he would have that look on his face while staring at me, and I quickly looked away.

"I don't have any hopes…" I glanced at Jacob, and he stared possessively at me as he walked off the lane after taking his turn to bowl.

Jessica didn't miss the way Jacob looked at me or the way I'd been looking at Edward.

"Yeah, sure, Bella," Jessica whispered, leaning close to speak into my ear. "You've been here one day and you've already got one guy chasing you and your eye on another guy. You work fast, I've got to give you credit for that..."

I could feel my life becoming more complicated even as she spoke, and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to have to deal with all of that. I didn't need Jessica spreading that story all over school though. I dropped my shield around Jessica, and she seemed to forget about our conversation and the Cullens as she got up to bowl. I sort of figured that would happen. Somebody was making the rest of the kids from school ignore the Cullens. Apparently whoever was working the room didn't want that story to circulate either.

I wasn't really sure just what I was getting myself into. I'd never really given guys much thought at all, but the idea didn't seem too terrible to consider now. It was kind of scary to contemplate, although the idea of watching Edward wrestle seemed intriguing and made my stomach give little flips. That was entirely new and very interesting. I kind of liked it and wondered what it would be like to explore these new feelings I was feeling.

We bowled a couple more games after that and had a good time. Jacob and I consistently came in last, but our lane beat the other lane enough times to call it a draw. Jacob made a valiant effort, but he had me for a partner, and it was a serious handicap to our chances of winning. Jacob was graceful and athletic as he stalked the pins and fired the ball powerfully down the lane. He kept me laughing and we had a good time bowling. It was fun and I enjoyed his company.

I couldn't help but admire Edward bowling. He moved down the lane with an athletic grace, and I loved the way his shoulder muscles bunched and rippled as he fired the ball down toward the pins. I know he caught me staring at him more than once and he smiled when I quickly dropped my eyes and looked away. I knew Jacob noticed too, which was odd. He didn't seem to have any trouble noticing or focusing on the Cullens, unlike the kids from Forks who appeared to be totally oblivious to their presence. I could tell he didn't like me looking at Edward, but he didn't comment or bring up the subject.

After the fourth game, the group started to break up. It was close to curfew for most of the group, and Haley started pestering Michaela that they had to go so she'd be home on time. I guess her Curfew was at eleven, and she was driving Michaela. They said their good byes and left before everyone else.

About that time, Tyler announced he was driving Lauren home, and wanted to know if somebody could give Mike and Conner a lift. Jessica jumped at the chance to drive Mike home, but she didn't say anything about Conner, and now Angela needed a ride. I would have volunteered to drive them home, but I was driving Jacob. Sara said she could drive them and everything seemed settled. Austin had come with Ben, apparently as usual.

We walked out to the parking lot, and everyone was saying goodbye as they went to their cars. Tyler held Laurens hand as they walked to his van. They were both smiling and I had a feeling they weren't headed straight home. Jessica was absolutely beaming as she led Mike to her white Mercury. Jacob followed me to the Monte Carlo.

I swallowed and took the last few steps to the car and got into the driver seat. Jacob opened the passenger door and got in. I had a feeling Jacob wanted to be more than friends, and I was going to have to try and let him down easily. He was a good looking guy, but he was Charlie's nephew and younger than me. I wanted to be friends with him, but that was as far as I wanted to get involved with Jacob.

"This is a really great car, Bella," Jacob said as he settled into the seat.

"Thanks," I said as I started the car. "So, where do you live? I know you live in La Push, but how do you get there?" I asked.

"La Push is out on the coast, west of Forks on Highway 110. For now, get back on Forks Avenue heading north and cross the bridge heading out of town. I'll let you know when we're getting close to Highway 110. We're going to be turning left to head west on the highway."

"Ok…" I pulled back out onto the highway, which was Forks avenue as it passed through town, and headed north.

"So, what do you think of Forks? Is it what you were expecting?"

"Forks is cool. It's a bigger city than I was expecting when they told me where I was going. I'm really kind of glad I ended up here instead of foster care. You know, you hear all kinds of horror stories."

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

"It's like I kind of knew Phil wasn't my real father, but he was my dad. He was the only father I knew. He was just dad and we loved each other, but I always kind of expected my mom would tell me the truth when she thought I was old enough to hear it. I was still completely floored to find out I was right and I had another parent I'd never met before."

"Yeah, that's pretty amazing how you guys found each other. So what did you think when they told you your dad was the chief of police? I've known Charlie my whole life, but he's different when you run into him around town while he's working. I've seen him around town, and he's like… a cop. Not that there was any reason to avoid him but you know what I mean…"

"Hey, believe me; I don't go looking for the cops. I mind my own business, but Charlie is cool. He's doing everything he can to be a great dad. I've got my own room and computer. He gave me this car, and we went shopping today and he bought me new clothes for school. He wants me to be happy and feel at home."

"It sounds like you're fitting in. So are you nervous about starting a new school? Turn left here, this is La Push Road, Highway 110…" I made the turn as I thought about his question. I wasn't really that nervous. Starting a new school couldn't be any worse than what my life had been like up until now.

"I wouldn't say I'm nervous about school. It's just so small… Most of the kids that go there all grew up together. They've known each other since they were in diapers and I'm gonna be the new kid. I hate being the center of attention, but it's kind of hard to blend into the background when there are only sixty-five other kids in your whole class."

"Well, La Push is even smaller. Everyone that goes to the school there shares some kind of family tie, no matter how distant or remote. There's no hiding anything there."

"Yeah, but you grew up with all of those kids. It's different when you just moved here and have to meet everyone."

"Well, you know me. We can hang out whenever you like."

"Thanks, Jake. That's nice, but I don't want to cause trouble with Sam and the tribal council…"

"You let me worry about Sam. He doesn't control me or run my life. I'll hang out with whoever I want. I want to be friends with you, Bella."

"That's cool… I want to be friends too…"

"So, can I call you?"

"…That's what friends do… I just don't want to cause any trouble with Sam…"

"Why does this keep coming back to him, Bella? I told you not to worry about him. He can't hurt you."

"He made threats when we talked at Walmart, Jake. I know he isn't going to hurt me, but he told me to stay away from La Push. He said he could make phone calls that would make it hard for me to stay in Forks. He can run me out of my home if he wants to get nasty about it."

"And you believed him? Who's he going to call, Child Protective Services? The courts put you in Charlie's house, nobodies going to force you to leave…"

"Jake… You don't know the whole story... There are reasons I might be forced to leave, and people Sam could call that would make me have to leave. I can't drag you into this, but Sam is right. You could get hurt if you spent any time hanging out with me."

"What's going on, Bella? Who could Sam call? What kind of trouble are you in?"

"Jake… I can't tell you any of that. It's exactly the kind of thing that Sam is trying to protect you from. If you knew the answers to those questions, your life could be in danger. That's all I can say."

"Fine, don't tell me, but it doesn't make any difference. I still want to be your friend and spend time with you."

"You don't know anything about me, Jacob…"

"I want to get to know you better. Does that count for anything? I like you, Bella."

"Yeah, I can understand that. It takes time to get to know somebody."

"So, if I asked you to go out sometime, is that something you might want to do? Take this right up here. We're almost to La Push. If you kept following the highway, you'd end up by the beach and then the village."

I nodded and made the turn he'd pointed out. There were no houses yet, and it didn't look like we were driving into town. There was an awful lot of forest and dark little roads out here. I hoped he wasn't taking me someplace to park. He was nice and I liked him… Well, my hormones liked him, but I'd just met him, and the rational part of me wasn't ready for that yet. He seemed nice enough, but I wasn't going to go make out with some guy the same day I met him.

The road wound north and west, and then I saw cross streets and widely spaced small older style houses on massive wooded lots. I breathed a sigh of relief as I followed the road.

"I might say yes if you asked me out sometime, but you need to know I'm not looking for a boyfriend, Jake. We can go out as friends, ok? I don't like this thing with Sam, though. He scares me, and I don't want to get either of us into any trouble..."

"Ok, I'll take that as a maybe. Friends is a good place to start. Turn left on this cross street. I'm in the red house at the end, back by the river."

I slowed down and turned onto the drive. It was paved in hard packed gravel, but looked like a private road as I drove past one dilapidated looking dark house and followed the road north towards the river. There was a little red house with a separate garage that looked like a couple of old plastic storage sheds bolted together on the back of the property. I recognized Jacob's truck from the parking lot in Sequim and then tonight at the bowling alley in Forks. I pulled up in front of the house and put the car in park.

"Thanks for driving me home, Bella. I guess I'll see you around."

Jacob was leaning toward me… I froze... I didn't know what to do…

I felt his warm lips on my cheek. His lips briefly pressed against my cheek, warm and moist and wonderful… My hand lightly grazed against the hard muscles of his hard flat stomach...I inhaled and drew in his warm musky male scent… My stomach tightened and I felt a thrill flash through my core that made me squeeze my legs tighter together…

And then the moment passed. He was pulling away and his door opened as he stepped out of the car.

"Thanks for the ride… I am going to ask you to go out with me, but I'll give you time to get settled in. Good night, Bella…" The door closed and he waved as he walked toward the house.

I sighed as he disappeared inside. I knew I had totally blown my chances at being just friends. Maybe going out with Jacob wouldn't be so bad after all. I knew I would have seriously considered saying yes if he asked me out right now. I wouldn't have complained if he'd stolen a kiss, but this was ok and far enough for now. Only now he would be expecting more when I saw him again and it would be even harder to turn him down without hurting his feelings.

I got the car turned around and drove back to Charlie's house. I wasn't ready to call it home yet, but he was very welcoming. It was easy to retrace my path and I didn't get lost.

The lights were on and Charlie was waiting up for me when I got home. I checked the time on my phone. I was early. I still had fifteen minutes until my curfew. I smiled and put away my phone. It felt good to have a phone to put away. I put the pistol back in my purse before I went inside.

Charlie was sitting in the living room watching TV when I walked in.

"So, how did it go, Bella?" Charlie asked.

I walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. "It was fun… I met a lot of kids from school. Jacob Black and some of the kids from La Push were there too. We bowled…"

"That's nice."

"You didn't tell me Jessica and Lauren were cheerleaders."

"Why, is there something wrong with cheerleaders?"

"No… It's just that they tend to hang out with jocks."

"Yeah, is there something wrong with jocks? I played baseball in school, and ran track."

"No, nothing wrong per se… Some of them are really hot."

"Is this something I really want to hear, Bella?" Charlie asked with a slightly pained look on his face.

"Probably not… So tell me more about Jacob Black."

"Ok… Like I said, Jacob's a good kid. I've known his family all my life. Real shame about his mom. She was an amazing artist. His dad, Billy is the head of their tribal council. He receives a stipend from the tribe now. He was one hell of a fisherman in his day. He still owns a share in some of the fishing boats that work out of La Push. Jacob hangs out with that Atera kid and the Call boy most of the time. They've done their fair share of hell raising and seeing how much they can get away with. Caught'em down by the river with beer a couple of times, but every kid does that. I gave'em a talking to and sent them home."

"Ok…"

"So why this sudden interest in Jacob? I thought you were going to stay away from La Push and the Quileute's to keep Sam from causing trouble?"

"I gave him a ride home from the bowling alley. He's nice. He might ask me out sometime… I might say yes. We don't have to hang out in La Push, but I want to be friends with Jacob."

"Fine, but I get to talk to him first, ok?"

"You've known him his whole life. What are you going to find out now? You're not going to try and scare him off, are you? We're just friends…"

"If he's worth spending time with, I won't scare him off. I'll just put the fear of god, or Smith and Wesson in him…"

"Charlie! Be nice."

"Father's prerogative, Bella, I won't say no, but he sure as hell better treat you with respect."

"Ok… Umm… We're just friends…"

"That's usually how it starts. How friendly you get is up to you."

"Ok… So what can you tell me about the Cullens? They were there tonight too, but they seemed to keep to themselves."

"The Cullens run a group home for foster kids here in Forks. Carlisle Cullen is a top trauma surgeon, and we're lucky to have him here in Forks. Esme Cullen does a lot for the school. She's helped out with the winter cheerleading program since the Cullens moved here two years ago. She works with the drama department and volunteers with set building and helps supply a lot of the costumes and sewing special costumes for the school plays and stuff like that.. She also helps out with the music department. She plays the piano at school events as an accompanist for the choir and at recitals "

"Jessica mentioned that too. She said a couple of the guys on the wrestling squad lived in a group home."

"Yep, those would be Esme and Carlisle's foster kids. I had my doubts at first, I thought we'd have trouble with all those homeless teens moving to town, but they've never caused a lick of trouble. They keep to themselves mostly, except for the boys participating in the sports programs at the high school."

"Alright, well I'm going to go up to my room. I need to finish putting everything away, and then I'm going to hit the sack."

"Ok, good night. I'll probably be gone when you get up. I'm going fishing with a couple of buddies of mine in the morning. Call me if you go out, ok?"

"Sure, no problem, Charlie. See you tomorrow."

I went upstairs and made quick work of putting everything away from our shopping trip. The new pillow went on the bed and the pistol came out of my purse and back under it. I finally had some things to hang in the closet and fill out the drawers.

I went down to the bathroom and took a quick shower and brushed my teeth. I changed into a pair of sleep pants and a tank top, and went to bed, content with the new direction my life was taking.

**Author's note:**

**I ********also posted chapter 19 of The Darkest Part of the Night, so hopefully that story should be back on track again. **

******Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.**


	5. Interlude – The Hunters

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **VPOV (Victoria). guest narrator POV for the other side of the story in the interlude chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

**Warning: ** This chapter contains references to non-consensual sexual situations. If you are easily offended by violence against women and non-consensual sexual situations, then skip this chapter.

This chapter is part of the Hunters POV storyline. The main storyline will continue in the next chapter.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 5 – Interlude – The Hunters

VPOV (Victoria)

Friday – 11/25/2005

The ride was bumpy and I could feel the constant vibration of the aircraft through the frame of the seat. It was noisy in the cargo bay and we had to wear headsets to cancel the rushing drone of the engines, hear the announcements from the pilot and talk amongst ourselves. I probably should have allowed us to fly commercial like James had suggested, but this flight got us here faster. McChord Air Force Base was only about ten miles south of Seattle and we could have flown into Sea-Tac airport, but this flight was faster and harder to track too. There were 43 permanently assigned C-17 Globemaster IIIs to support combat and humanitarian contingencies at McChord Air Force Base.

Taking military transport had other advantages as well. It added legitimacy to our presence here.

Our ID's would have gotten us through the front gate and in to talk to whoever we needed to talk to, but we'd be even more the outsiders than we already were. There would be security checks, scans, phone calls to verify our credentials. We'd check out, all the documents were real, but there would be that nagging bit of doubt in the back of the minds of the base security detail. The rest of the staff would pick up on it in a feedback loop of automatic distrust.

When we walked off the plane in military issue jumpsuits, we were already part of the establishment, part of the routine, just another group on a mission following orders and doing our job. We wouldn't be here if we didn't belong here. There would be an automatic degree of acceptance of our presence, and when we showed our ID's and issued orders, they'd be followed without question.

The pilot had already announced we were on final approach for landing and we'd be on the ground in minutes. The landing was acceptable. There was a feeling like your stomach dropping into your feet in an elevator moving down too fast sensation and a jolt as the wheels touched down. The engines roared, and then we could hear the brakes as we were thrown forward against the seatbelt harnesses. The massive jet slowed rapidly, and then we were taxiing towards the hangers.

The jet came to a stop and the crew was moving around the cargo bay. I ignored their thoughts as I unbuckled and collected my duffel bag and smaller carry-on bag with my laptop and gear. The ramp lowered at the back of the aircraft so the ground crew could start their cargo operation. I dug our orders out of the flap on the carry-on bag, and then led the way toward the ramp while James and Laurent fell into step behind me.

I spotted the noncom in charge of the ground crew and walked up to him.

"Staff Sergeant," I said, handing him my orders, "I'm Special Agent Victoria Tomlinson. I need transport to quarters to change and then I need to see the base commander."

The sergeant looked over the paper and his eyes got big as he read the orders.

_Holy shit...! What the hell are spooks doing out here... She's hot with that red hair... Stow it Thomas... She's brass... Top fucking spook brass... That's a whole lot of shit hitting the fan, and I don't want none on me..._

The sergeant snapped to attention. "Yes, Ma'am, immediately, Ma'am." Then he looked around to see who he could pawn us off on.

"Airman Garcia, front and center!" He ordered, and an airman trotted over and stood at attention. "Get the jeep. Escort Special Agent Tomlinson and her team to headquarters, on the double."

"Yes, Sir, Staff Sergeant, Sir!"

The airman, Garcia, trotted away, and then quickly returned with a Humvee. We loaded our gear in and got in for the ride to headquarters.

_I told you we should have flown commercial..._ James thought. _It would have been fun seeing who wanted to join the mile high club..._

That was another reason to fly military. I didn't have to clean up after James on a military flight, or at least not very often. It had happened once or twice before. On a commercial flight he probably would have dragged one of the flight attendants into the toilet to rape her just for his sick idea of fun and to make life more difficult for me. I could have just made one of them want to go with him, but that would have spoiled the game as far as he was concerned.

He liked it when they screamed and fought, and then Laurent and I would have spent the rest of the trip making people forget what had happened. Not only would we have gotten here later, we'd have spent half the day fixing the mess James made.

The airman took us to the headquarters complex and turned us over to the staff. We were escorted to quarters to change out of the flight suits. I handed over our orders and the top secret mission brief files to the base security officer, once I verified his ID. Then we sat and waited.

We didn't wait long.

Soon enough a smart looking lieutenant with her blond hair twisted into a bun, a crisp blue skirt and immaculate air force uniform was leading us toward the base commanders office.

It felt good to be out of that bulky flight suit and back into my business attire with skirt and blazer and my pistol where I could reach it under the jacket. My ID was clipped to the breast pocket of my jacket, and it felt good to feel the respect, awe and more than a little fear radiate off the headquarters staff personnel that we passed.

Word had gotten around that we were here, and there were several rumors floating around about the purpose of our visit. More people than necessary knew we'd delivered a top secret mission brief, but that was ok for now. It was increasing efficiency for the minute as people kept their heads down and did their jobs, not wanting to attract attention.

Lieutenant Scott couldn't avoid us, though. Her job was to provide for our needs while we were on the base. Luckily, she was intelligent and efficient and was very dedicated to doing her duty. She was an SIO, or Special investigations Officer, albeit a very new one, but she had training on conducting investigations into criminal, fraud, counterintelligence and other security concerns. SIOs managed investigations both within the Air Force and outside it, often teaming up with other military branches and agencies to conduct joint operations.

Special Investigations Officers also conducted counterespionage operations targeting foreign intelligence services, performed interrogations, provided testimony in legal proceedings, and prepared awareness briefings on the threat posed by terrorists, subversive groups and other hostile entities. That might be useful later. I needed somebody local who could coordinate our activity with the various official military and civilian agencies we'd be dealing with while we were here.

I noticed James ogling the pretty lieutenant. I could feel him running scenarios through his mind about the best way to get her alone and what he'd do to her when he did. The last thing I needed was to have to clean up an incident on the base when we'd only just arrived.

I leaned closer to him as we followed her through the corridor. "Don't even think about it," I hissed in his ear.

He glanced at me, studying my countenance and determined look, and then nodded. He knew it wasn't jealousy, he knew what he could get away with and he knew when not to push his luck.

James should have been dog meat a long time ago, but he was very good at what he did. Good enough that he was still alive. We needed him, end of story, so we looked the other way and covered up his frequent indiscretions. He was assigned to me because I could rein him in enough to keep him on track and get the job done.

Sometimes reining him in meant taking one for the team and satisfying his baser urges, it was easier than burying the bodies or erasing the memories of the ones that lived. He wasn't bad in the sack and he certainly knew how to push all of right buttons to make a girl's day when he was playing nice. The problem was James didn't like playing nice unless I made him play nice.

I wouldn't say I was in love with him. It was a working relationship. I was in love with him as much as I was in love with my pistol or a good sharp knife or any other tool I needed to keep in peak operating condition to get the job done and accomplish my mission. The mission was of paramount importance and I would do anything required to successfully accomplish my mission.

The problem with James, though, was I couldn't satisfy all of his urges. There were things even I wouldn't do. Luckily we questioned enough suspects and hostile informants to satisfy his needs and enough resisted and ran to satisfy his need to hunt prey.

The pretty lieutenant opened the office door for us, announcing us, and then stood aside holding the door as we filed into the office. She blushed when James looked her up and down and winked at her, and then she closed the door behind us, but didn't follow us into the office.

She thought he was handsome. She considered what it would be like if he asked her out. She'd probably go off with him if he asked her nicely. The problem was James didn't ask nicely, even when he knew he could and knew they'd say yes.

I wonder what she would have thought if she realized he was smiling because he was still thinking about how loud she'd scream while he was raping her.

I could stomach being with James because most guys had those same fantasies from time to time whether they were preachers or politicians or your dentist. Unless they were gay, they had those fantasies. The only difference was James lived them out and actually made them happen when he could get away with it. The only difference between a nice guy and a serial rapist was one had fantasies and one made those fantasies reality.

The man in the blue air force General's uniform stood up when we walked into the room.

I reached out and shook the officer's hand when he offered it. "General Crabtree, I'm Special Agent Victoria Tomlinson. This is Special Agent James Witherdale and Special Agent Laurent Fènwa. Have you had an opportunity to review the mission brief and our orders?"

I could see the mission brief folder lying open on his desk and the top secret seal was broken. It was obvious he'd been reading it. He looked visibly shaken and a light sheen of sweat stood out on his forehead.

"Yes, I'm Major General Raymond Crabtree, Commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing and base commander of McChord Air Force Base. I don't believe I've ever heard of the agency that cut your orders, Special Agent Tomlinson."

He settled back into his seat and indicated we should sit as well in the chairs provided for us in front of his desk.

"The Special Human Offense Prevention bureau is a division of the CIA. We simply refer to it as the SHOP. I can assure you that our credentials are valid, General Crabtree. Our authority comes directly from Langley, Virginia and the highest levels of government. Our Bureau is classified top secret and is considered Sensitive Compartmented Information or SCI and information about it's existence is only disseminated on a need to know basis."

General Crabtree nodded, accepting my explanation. "This is absolutely incredible... If I hadn't checked your credentials myself, I'd think somebody had to be playing an elaborate hoax or practical joke..."

"Let me assure you, General, that this is very real and a legitimate threat to our national security."

"But she's just a little girl..."

He was resisting. He wanted to do the right thing, and he knew we weren't, no matter how official our papers were. People always had to be so goddamn moral and righteous. As if freewill was important and meant anything in the grand scheme of things. Power and the ability to wield it were what were important.

I wasn't really a pusher. Not like Andy had been, but that was a lifetime ago. I'd been through death and life since then and my genetic code had been re-written to boost my gifts, allowing me to influence the minds I read.

I'd been a different person when I was alive the first time. I could still remember dying when I was shot. The second time around was so much simpler when you simply did what you were told, stuck to the program and followed the plan. Of course I wasn't a robot. I would have been useless like that if all I could do was blindly follow orders.

It was a totally freeing experience to have your soul literally ripped out of your body, twisted and reshaped to remove superfluous inanities like morality and compassion and then have it shoved back into your chakra to give you a new lease on life. It provided clarity of purpose and a new sense of resolve.

No, I was better than some mindless automoton, I'd been reshaped into a convert so I believed in the plan. That was so much more powerful because I could think on my feet, ad lib and adjust to circumstances as they developed.

"You've read the file then," I continued, addressing the general.

"Yes, I have... I just find it hard to believe that a seventeen year old girl is a dangerous terrorist..."

I didn't need to be a pusher to handle this situation. General Crabtree wanted to do the right thing. He'd been trained for all of his life to follow orders. It just took a subtle reinforcement of his desire to follow his orders and blindly submit to the will of his superiors. It wasn't a push so much and freeing him from compassion so he could do what he knew was right. He'd follow his oath and do his duty instead of the right thing. He'd allow me to talk him into following his orders now.

"Isabella Marie Dwyer, yes... That little girl is directly responsible for the deaths of forty-eight federal agents, eighteen civilian private citizens and several millions of dollars' worth of damages related to terrorist acts against federal and civilian private property."

"According to the file, all of these acts were perpetrated while trying to escape from those federal agents. The file doesn't list any premeditated or overt acts of terrorism. It also fails to state what she was being apprehended for in the first place. No charges have been filed against her, other than resisting arrest."

"You haven't read the entire file then."

"No…"

"Persons identified with dangerous inherent natural abilities have been classified as a direct threat to national security by the NSA, the CIA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Any person, whether citizen of the United States or Foreign National within the sovereign territory of the United States or it's territories or possessions shall be detained by federal authorities until such time as the nature of their ability can be determined and an effective countermeasure or means of neutralizing it can be developed and deployed."

"There's no way congress agreed to that...!"

"The majority of the congress and the current administration aren't even aware that the threat exists. This action was mandated by the emergency powers granted to secure threats to national security under the patriot act. It has been authorized by duly appointed official committees privy to the top secret mission briefs at the highest levels of government."

"So she's a threat to National Security simply because she exists, and now she's a criminal simply because she refused to be arrested by your agency. Assuming you can find her and apprehend her, then what? She's looking at life in federal custody until you can find an effective countermeasure? No wonder she ran..."

"Isabel Dwyer is too dangerous to be apprehended, general. We don't have the means to contain the power she controls. No means to incarcerate her exists. An order to terminate with extreme prejudice has been authorized by our superiors."

"You're going to kill her, simply because she exists. I'd run and fight you too..."

"Did you read the file on the Longmont incident?"

"I started to, but it read like science fiction. That can't be an accurate report..."

"It's very real and accurate, general. Given the right opportunity and circumstances, that could happen here. Should I arrest her and bring her here for transport to a secure facility?"

"My god! There are thousands of troops here! We have more than 25,000 soldiers and civilian workers between McChord Air Force base and Fort Lewis. The post supports over 120,000 military retirees and more than 29,000 family members living both on and off post."

"All of them are at risk if Ms. Dwyer gets pissed off and has a bad day, General. No one civilian individual should hold that kind of power. Our government has determined that the threat needs to be eliminated."

he nodded. "What do you need from me?" The general asked.

"Resources, transportation and your cooperation with our agency, our intelligence places Ms. Dwyer somewhere in the Pacific Northwest on or about November twenty-fourth. We've narrowed our search to somewhere within the state of Washington."

"Washington is a pretty big place, Special Agent. If she lies low and keeps her nose clean, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"We have methods of tracking her. It's only a matter of time, but we'll find her."

"You've found her before. Forty-eight agents are dead because you've found her before. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"She was traveling with an accomplice before that made it difficult for us to approach her by stealth. That is no longer an issue. If we can take her unawares, one bullet and it's all over."

"And if you can't? Then more people will die..."

"General, I am authorized to use any means at my disposal in order to eliminate the threat, up to and including the use of nuclear weapons. Civilian causalities would be considered collateral damage and an acceptable loss as long as the threat is eliminated. My only mandate is that I need to have a confirmed kill. If I didn't need to provide the body to my superiors for confirmation, I could simply nuke her location or tell you to drop a fuel-air bomb on her house if we knew where she was holed up."

"That's insane!"

"That is the magnitude of this threat, General. You can verify my command level authorization if you desire. Do you understand now? She may live in the body of a seventeen year old girl, but the forces she can unleash could rip this planet apart once she figures out how to use everything that she may be capable of doing."

"May be capable of doing? You don't know?"

"The girl that caused the Longmont incident was ten years old and was just figuring out her power. Dwyer has had an additional seven years to develop her abilities, and so far we've never been able to contain someone like her long enough to study the full extent of their capabilities. This goes beyond national security, general. She could become a threat to the very existence of life on this planet as we know it."

"My god... So you said resources and transportation. That's it? I can put ten thousand men in the field and curry comb the country side to locate her..."

"No! That sort of operation would be sure to tip her off that we're looking for her here. I need a car and a base of operations to work from. If I make a phone call and ask for an airstrike, I expect it to happen, no questions asked. We'll find her, but we have to do it discretely. If she knows we're looking for her, she'll run and disappear again. If it comes to a fight, we have pretty good odds of getting her if we can get close enough before she knows we're there."

"How does getting close enough make any difference at all, Special Agent?"

"Ms. Dwyer isn't the only person in the world with a power, General Crabtree. We can temporarily neutralize her ability; turn it off long enough to make her vulnerable to conventional weapons. If we can get close enough, we can turn her off like a light."

"Ok... I don't like this, but I'll play along. You can have whatever resources or personnel you need, but I want to stay in the loop and stay informed of your progress. What's your next move?"

"I'll be having a similar conversation at Fort Lewis with General Guyver this afternoon to inform him of the threat. Then we'll be visiting the local FBI field office and the Seattle Police Department. They won't be receiving the classified version of the briefing, but we have a standard cover story for them to have them feed us information to search for a known terrorist and fugitive from justice."

"Alright, I'll talk to my people. They'll provide whatever resources you need."

I stood up, effectively ending the conversation. General Crabtree stood up as well and shook my hand again. We left the office and the pretty blond lieutenant was waiting to escort us back to our quarters.

James was ogling her again, and I knew this wasn't going to end well for her.

_Can I play with her now, Victoria...? I won't kill her, I promise... I won't even leave any permanent marks... I just want to feel her clenching around me as she screams... Laurent will make her forget it ever happened..._

Sure, Laurent could make her forget, but it still left scars on the psyche. The physical signs would wash away and heal, and maybe she wouldn't consciously remember it ever happened, but late at night in the darkness of her dreams, she'd relive it all in her nightmares.

That wasn't my issue though.

I needed her more right now than James needed someone to rape, even if it would ground him and make it easier for him to concentrate on the task at hand. I'd fuck him myself if it was just about sex, but I knew it was more than that. He didn't get the control and dominance power fix he needed from just sleeping with me. I didn't let him have that much control, and that was really what he craved.

I'd have to let him off the leash sooner or later to get his rocks off if I was going to maintain control of him. He needed it to ground him and make him focus. We needed him that much. It was a small price to pay for getting the job done effectively and efficiently, but we had work to do now.

"Not now," I hissed at him.

_Fine... We can roll like that... Next time though, no holding back..._

James thoughts were dark and twisted and some of the fantasies of bloody violence drifted high enough to the surface for me to read and experience whether I wanted to or not. I shuddered at the images that invaded my mind and felt dirty just knowing those thoughts were in his head. They were in my head too now...

This was going to get bad if he didn't get his fix soon. I could control him, but he let me because he knew I'd help him to satisfy his needs because I needed him.

The pretty lieutenant turned to me. "Ma'am?" She asked. "Is there something I can get for you?"

She had no idea how much I was going to require of her, but she'd do her duty too…

"Yes, call the motor pool and order a car for us. We're going to be doing a fair piece of traveling around the state to accomplish our mission parameters, so something large enough to be comfortable, but nondescript so it doesn't stand out. Then we're going to need some semi-permanent housing and office space to work out of. Make sure security has our ID's on file so we can come and go as needed at the main gate."

"Yes, Ma'am." She said.

"Have the car brought around immediately so we can go to our next appointment."

"Yes, Ma'am." She said as she started to turn away to carry out my orders.

"And Lieutenant Scott, make arrangements to accompany us. I'll need an administrative assistant in the field while I'm here."

"Yes, Ma'am!" She sounded excited. She thought this was a career move that would look good on her record. It would. I'd make sure she was compensated if she survived this.

"Lose the uniform and fix your hair, Lieutenant. Wear a skirt and be ready to leave when the car gets here."

General Crabtree had said he'd provide whatever resources I needed to accomplish my mission. He didn't come close to realizing just how true that statement was. I didn't need ten thousand soldiers beating the bushes, but one pretty lieutenant who was willing to take one for the team would suffice for now.

"Yes, Ma'am!" she replied, immediately thinking about what to wear. She'd do. The wardrobe choices in her mind were appropriate and would meet with James approval.

"Pack a bag and have our things loaded into the car. It might be a few days before we're back. What's your security clearance?"

"I've passed the background checks for confidential access and the initial round of SSBI for secret access, Ma'am."

"I'll make some calls and get it upgraded. This mission is top secret, and you'll be exposed to SCI need to know information and data. This information doesn't leave the bureau, Lieutenant. Say no now, or be in the car."

She considered for a minute. She knew what I was saying. If she said yes and was exposed to this intelligence information she was going career. She was in for the long haul and there would be no talk of marriage or kids or family anytime in the foreseeable future. You didn't rotate out or finish your tour when you knew these sorts of secrets and were privy to this level of information.

Secrets this confidential meant you were in the loop or you were dead. That's how need to know secrets worked.

She was on the fence. She was patriotic and ambitious and driven, but she had those other feminine desires too. In a couple more years, after a few more promotions, she could rotate out into the private sector and still have a career and everything else too.

I pushed her off the fence. I needed her now, besides she probably wouldn't want all of that anymore when James was done with her.

"Yes, Ma'am, I'll get the car." She replied as she left us back at the temporary quarters where we'd changed earlier.

I nodded as she walked away.

"This is going to be fun." James said with a devious smirk on his face as he watched her walk away.

"You stick to the deal. No permanent marks, and she doesn't die under any circumstances, got it? No accidents like last time. We're going to be here for a while and I don't need the added headache of making her disappear too. Keep it under control and you can play with her, but I need her to do her job too."

"Fine, I'll be good. There'll be others I can play with here, but I'm going to enjoy this."

I shuddered at the thought as I gathered my things to leave. Laurent hadn't said a word since we'd landed. He rarely had anything to say, and most people we dealt with assumed he was mute. He stoically packed his few belongings and simply waited. I didn't need to worry about Laurent. He was long past shocked or disgusted with James. He just did what we told him to do and helped me clean up the messes.

Laurent had a whole different set of controls that kept him in check and doing his duty with us. His family was safe and provided for in a state luxury that would have been impossible to even imagine in the tiny crowded village on Haiti where he'd grown up. Now his children would go to college and would grow up as affluent American citizens.

All it had cost him was his soul, his freedom and his sense of right and wrong.

It was a small price to pay when the alternative was death for himself and everyone he loved, but he'd picked a side and he lived by his decision. I didn't have to worry about Laurent. He was in for the long haul and did his job. He knew what it meant to his family if he didn't.

There was a phone call after a short wait, telling us the car was ready. I'd taken the opportunity to make some phone calls while we waited. A detachment of base staff personnel showed up to collect our baggage and we followed them out to the car. I stopped in the security office for a minute to pick up some documents, and then we were on our way.

Lieutenant Scott was waiting on the curb next to the car while the airmen loaded the bags into the trunk. The car was acceptable. It was a big black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows and Washington State plates from Tacoma, instead of official government license plates. Those would have stood out and been conspicuous.

The Lieutenant was acceptable too. She'd changed out of her uniform into a skirt, blouse and heels with a three quarter length wool coat to stave off the chill, but it was still in the fifties out here on the west coast, even in November. She'd brushed out her hair and it hung to the middle of her back. She had even put on some light makeup and looked much more feminine.

"All of the arrangements have been taken care of, Ma'am," Lieutenant Scott said when we walked up to her.

"Good, thank you, Lieutenant. Do you have a side arm?"

"In my luggage, Ma'am… Will I need it?"

"Not for this next meeting, but get it out and wear it after our next stop. You're rated for concealed carry now." I handed her the documents from the security office. "Your security clearance has been upgraded to top secret. This is your ID. You're attached to our unit as military liaison for the duration of our stay in Washington and you'll continue to coordinate our mission goals with our agency after we leave."

"Thank you, Ma'am!" It was hard for her to conceal her excitement. She knew this meant a promotion if she worked out in this position. I wondered if she would have still been as excited if she knew how much this was going to cost her.

"When we're in an official setting, you may refer to me as Special Agent Tomlinson. When we're being less formal, please call me Victoria. Is that acceptable, Courtney?"

"Yes, Ma'am… Victoria… That's fine… Thank you."

"Good. This is Special Agent James Witherdale and Special Agent Laurent Fènwa," I said, pointing them out to her to make introductions.

Then I got down to business. "Laurent, you're driving. James, you've got shotgun. Courtney, you're in the back with me. We have a meeting with General Guyver on the army base at Fort Lewis, and then we need to brief the Seattle FBI field office on the mission parameters. We'll meet with the Seattle police department last. We can hit the streets and do some recon after we meet with the police."

I turned to Courtney. She didn't really have any choice at this point, but I had to give her a chance to back out. "Last chance to say no, Lieutenant Scott, I'll brief you on our mission in the car. Once we leave the base, you're in for the long haul. If you have any reservations about serving in this capacity, speak up now."

She considered again and thought about her decision. I didn't have to apply any pressure at all this time. She made up her mind on her own and got into the car. This was what she'd signed up for, and she thought she was on the fast track to having all of her dreams come true. She was, she just didn't know what the price was yet.

I got into the car and closed the door. James and Laurent got into the front seat. We pulled away from the curb while James programed our destination into the navigation system and Laurent drove through the base to the main gate.

I waited until we were on the highway before I spoke to Courtney.

"Did you read comic books when you were growing up, Courtney?" I asked.

"Comic books…? No. My little brothers did when I was in high school, but no, I didn't."

"But you're familiar with stories about people with paranormal powers, people who can read minds or move things with telekinesis, people who can predict things before they happen."

"Sure, everyone's heard stories like that, but there isn't any proof that it's real, right? That's all just stories… It's something Hollywood made up for the movies. There aren't any real people like that…"

"No. Those people are very real and they're much more common than the general public has been led to believe."

"Oh…"

"Some of them are dangerous. That's where our agency comes into play. Persons identified with dangerous inherent natural abilities have been classified as a direct threat to national security by the NSA, the CIA and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Our mandate comes directly from the DoD under the special powers authorized under the Patriot Act.

"Our agency, the Special Human Offense Prevention bureau is a division of the CIA with special authority that comes directly from Langley, Virginia. We simply refer to it as the SHOP. We're part of the enforcement division that's been tasked with dealing with special and enhanced humans and human mutations that have been deemed a threat to National Security."

"This is real? There are really people out there with special powers, and some of them are powerful enough to be considered a threat to national security?"

"Yes."

"You came to Washington to find one of these people, didn't you? That's why you met with the General. That's why we're going to Fort Lewis and meeting with the FBI and the Police."

"Excellent, I knew you were a bright girl. Our intelligence places one of our primary targets in the Pacific Northwest. We know her accomplice made contact with someone here on November twenty-fourth, likely to make arrangements to hide her here."

"Her? Who exactly are we hunting? What happened to this accomplice?"

"The accomplice was neutralized in Texas last week, but the trail went cold on this one." I opened my briefcase and handed her the picture. It was edited out of a video surveillance feed, but it was the most recent picture we had.

"She's a threat to national security? She looks like a teenage kid. What, is she eighteen or nineteen? What did she do?"

She didn't look much younger than Courtney for that matter, but a lot of these enhanced humans matured more quickly than standard humans did. I knew she was comparing their appearances. She was only twenty-four and only a couple of years out of the air force academy herself. She'd wanted to be a fighter pilot when she was growing up, but had worked her way into the Special Investigation division with the choices she'd made.

"Isabel Dwyer. She's seventeen. She's directly responsible for the deaths of forty-eight federal agents, eighteen civilian private citizens and millions of dollars' worth of property damage related to terrorist acts against federal and civilian private property. She's considered armed and dangerous and she won't hesitate to use deadly force if cornered."

"Alright… You said you hunt down these enhanced humans and mutants… What can she do?"

"Here, take a look at her file," I said, handing her the heavy manila folder with 'Top Secret, SCI" stamped on the front in bold red letters.

Courtney took the folder, handling it gingerly, like it was dangerous and was going to bite her. It didn't matter now; she was already in too deep. There was no backing out now, she already knew too much. She was in the loop or she was dead. She knew it, and she knew I knew it.

She took the file and opened it and started reading the dossier. She quickly scanned through the documents, catching the high points and quickly absorbing the information. She was very intelligent and she'd trained her mind to collate and store data and new information efficiently, forming concise opinions and mentally highlighting the crucial data.

I could feel her skepticism but the more she read the more that the reality of the situation began to sink in. Of course this was the official version of the incident reports and field notes of the various attempts to apprehend and neutralize Ms. Dwyer.

"The accomplice you spoke of was her mother. The official report doesn't state what happened to her."

"The official report was just filed last week. It hasn't been added to the dossier yet."

"You said she's been neutralized…"

"She's dead. She was shot while resisting arrest. She fired on federal agents and was mortally wounded in an attempt to apprehend her."

"Ok… Are you attempting to arrest Isabel Dwyer, or is she going to be shot while resisting arrest too?"

"An order to terminate with extreme prejudice has been authorized by our superiors. Isabel Dwyer is too dangerous to be apprehended. She'll resist any attempt at arrest with deadly force…"

"You shot her mother and you've been hunting her like an animal for three years. Of course she's going to resist…

"We don't have the means to contain the power she controls. No means to incarcerate her exists. Should we risk another incident like Longmont, Virginia, Lieutenant? You read the file. I don't have to remind you that this is highly classified top secret, need to know intelligence. Either you're part of the solution or you're part of the problem…"

It didn't take much pressure to sway her. She realized how critical this situation was and the thinly veiled threat tipped the scale

"Of course, Special Agent Tomlinson… Excuse me for speaking out of turn… I was startled by the nature of the threat… Of course I'll defer to your judgment and help you carry out your orders."

"Excellent, I knew you were an intelligent young woman, Courtney. Some of these individuals are useful and serve a purpose. Some of them we've developed countermeasures to allow us a defense or means of control, but in cases such as this, the target is simply too dangerous and has to be eliminated for all of our safety."

"If she's so powerful, how are you going to neutralize her?"

"Isabel Dwyer isn't the only enhanced human with a power. Once were close enough, Laurent will cancel out her abilities, and she'll be vulnerable to conventional weapons while she withing range of his ability."

"Special Agent Fènwa is an enhanced human too?!"

"No, he's a natural human mutation. Mutants happen, enhanced humans are caused and created. I told you, Courtney, they're all around you, and you probably never even noticed them."

"You're an enhanced human too! All of you are..."

_Yes... Don't be alarmed... How do you think I was able to process your security clearance so quickly? I monitor SSBI for the bureau..._

"You didn't speak... I heard you in my head...! You can read my mind!"

"Yes, but enough party tricks. I know you're going to accept what we tell you. You're going to do your duty and serve your country. This is all of course classified top secret and you're not allowed to tell anyone. I'll know if you do, so please don't abuse my trust."

"Yes Ma'am..."

"Don't go to pieces on me Courtney. You're stronger than that. You're going to do your job and do it well and earn that promotion you think this detail is going to get you. It will if you perform your duty adequately."

"Alright... I can do this..."

"I know, now finish reading the mission brief. We'll be at Fort Lewis in a few minutes.

The mission briefing at Fort Lewis for General Guyver went about the same as the interview at McChord Air force base. The general was a little put out that we'd picked up our military liaison from the Air Force instead of the Army, but once he knew the nature of our assignment, he was glad enough not to have to assign one of his people to us. We left Fort Lewis with his assurances that he'd provide all the support we might need.

I didn't envision requiring a battalion of troops and tanks any time soon. They'd tried that at Longmont and lost the entire battalion. I might be able to use a sniper, but I could get a SWAT team from the police or the FBI, and they'd probably be better suited to the type of incidents I might have to deal with.

The FBI were more difficult to deal with than the Military. There was the inter-agency rivalry to deal with, and they felt put upon because we were requiring their assistance, but wouldn't trust them with the details. They listened to the briefing, but they assumed we were lying to them. We were, but that hardly mattered. We weren't going to divulge classified material to them. They got the same sanitized version of the file that the cops got.

In the police version of the file, Isabel Dwyer was a terrorist and fugitive from justice who was wanted for the murder of her adoptive step father, Phil Dwyer. The file stated that she and her mother had shot him during a staged home invasion robbery attempt, but they botched the job and ended up shooting up the cops that showed up to arrest them.

They'd been on the run ever since, but had escaped several times with a rising body count after every incident. She was accused or several counts of arson and fire bombing attacks on federal facilities and was a terrorist member of a radical underground political movement.

The cops and the FBI listened to our story and agreed to funnel any pertinent information to us, but I doubted we'd get any leads. Chances were if one of the cops or the FBI actually ran across her and tried to apprehend her, we 'd get the report along with a body bag for the cop. At least we'd know for certain she was here, but a run in with the law would make her run again.

My best bet was hoping James would pick up her trail again and get us close enough for Laurent to shut her down. Then it was just a regular old fashioned shoot'em up and hope we could tag her before she tagged us. She was good with a pistol, but so were we, and there'd be four of us.

Courtney turned to me after we walked out of the Seattle police department. "Ok, we talked to the FBI and the police. What's next?"

"We hit the bricks and look for leads."

"Ok... Washington is a big state. Seattle is a big city. Where do we start?"

"Renee Dwyer was a student at the University of Washington. She was a sophomore there when she got knocked up and ended up pregnant with Isabel We're assuming Renee Dwyer was contacting somebody to make arrangements to hide Isabel. Perhaps a friend from College."

"What about her biological father? Is he still alive?"

"Renee Dwyer wasn't married when she got pregnant. The records showing who Isabel's biological father was were destroyed in the Longmont incident. I doubt any of the professors or faculty will remember a sophomore dropout from seventeen years ago, if any of them are still even there."

"Well, it's worth a try."

"Ok... Let's try the University."

The University of Washington turned out to be a dead end. All of their records that old had been archived electronically, and the hard copies had been destroyed in an effort to save space. All of the records pertaining to Renee Higginbotham had been lost, expunged or removed from the system.

I was beginning to notice a pattern. All electronic information dealing with Isabel Dwyer was compromised. Files had been altered. Records were missing. Every APB that had been placed on her had mysteriously disappeared or was canceled before it made it onto the wire services.

The fake footage of the convenience store shootout had gone viral on the internet, but it wasn't hard to notice that it was photoshopped if you knew anything about video editing at all.

It was like she had an electronic guardian angel who was running interference for her to keep her safe.

We were done here, and it was time to call it a night. I might as well get this next part over with so we could start the real search for Dwyer.

"Laurent, drive to the hotel," I said when we were back in the car. "James, go ahead and program it into the GPS. We're staying at the Executive Residence Inn at 1200 Western Avenue in Seattle."

"We could be back on the base in thirty minutes," Courtney said. "I have accommodations setup for your stay..."

"No, the hotel is close to the Pike Place Market, the waterfront arcade and a variety of shopping, entertainments and food sources that would likely attract Ms. Dwyer. If she's been through Seattle, she'll have been through this part of town.

"Laurent, drop me and Courtney off at the hotel to check in and get the rooms. Then you and James take a cruise around the neighborhood to see if you can pick up any leads."

"Got it, Vic," James replied. "If she's been through her since turkey day, I'll know it."

Courtney turned to me. "How will he know it?" She whispered.

I shrugged. "It's what he does. Do you really want to know more?"

Courtney shook her head no, but I could feel her apprehension, wondering what she'd gotten herself into.

Laurent pulled up in front of the hotel and we got out of the car. The Executive Residence Inn was a small downtown hotel at the edge of the business district that catered to businessmen visiting the city on travel for the companies they represented. It wasn't one of the huge travel hotels like a Hilton or Best Western. It was smaller and more elegant with a restaurant lounge on the first floor and larger residential style rooms for business travelers who were going to be in the area for a while.

Courtney called a bellman over and had him unload the bags out of the trunk of the car. Laurent drove away when he was done and the bellman pushed the cart with our luggage into the hotel.

I turned to Courtney when we were inside. "Go see what the menu looks like at the restaurant and make us a reservation for dinner. James and Laurent won't be more than an hour or two or they'll call."

Courtney nodded and walked away to go make dinner arrangements while I walked to the receptionist counter in the lobby to check in.

"Can I help you, Ma'am?" The girl at the counter asked.

"I need four rooms for a week. If we need to stay longer I make arrangements later."

"Very good, Ma'am, I'll need to see your ID and a credit card..." I handed over the documents. "I'll need to see the ID's of the other parties in your group as well..."

"You don't need to see their ID's" I said as I exerted my will and planted the suggestion into her mind.

"Ok... This should be fine... How many room keys do you need?"

"Give me three keys for each room please."

"Yes, of course... I can give you the whole third floor. There are four room on each floor, so nobody else should disturb your party."

"Excellent, that should be perfect."

The receptionist quickly processed the order. She placed the key cards in paper sleeves on the counter with the room numbers written on them. I scooped them up and put the stack in my purse, and then signed the paperwork to check in to the rooms.

Courtney came back as I was finishing up. "I made reservations for dinner. I told them an hour, but it wasn't crowded. We can wait in the lounge if you like."

I reached into my purse and handed her a room key. "Here, we can go up and settle the luggage and freshen up first. I'm in three oh one. You've got three oh two. We can put James and Laurent in the other two rooms. Their bags are marked."

Courtney nodded and took the key card. "Ok. Sounds good to me."

I could see her reviewing what she had packed for the trip as she decided what to wear to dinner. I helped her reject the outfits that had pants and encouraged her to decide to wear the other dress she'd packed. She had an apartment off base in Tacoma. We'd have to run by there tomorrow to pick up some different wardrobe selections for her, or I could just take her shopping.

James had certain tastes and it paid to keep him focused on her as long as he played by the rules. It was convenient having her travel with us if it kept him on track. He wouldn't be chasing tail halfway across the state if I let him play with Courtney. It wouldn't be fun for her, but it would help advance the mission, and that was what was my most important concern.

"Go ahead and get settled and I'll meet you downstairs in the lounge. We'll wait for James and Laurent, and then we can have some dinner."

She nodded and the bellman followed us into the elevator with the bags. We made short work of divvying up the luggage and went to our rooms. It had been a very long day, but it wasn't over yet. I knew what was coming.

I took a quick shower to freshen up and dressed for dinner. I brushed out my hair and fixed my makeup and went down to the lounge. Courtney hadn't arrived yet when I got there. I ordered a Bloody Mary and took out a cigarette to smoke while I waited for her to come down. She'd be here before James and Laurent.

I was fairly certain James wasn't going to cause trouble while he was off with Laurent. He'd been sniffing around Courtney all day and his head was filled with scenarios and fantasies revolving around how he was going to take her. She lived in most of them, so I was pretty sure she'd make it through this. Worst case scenario, we'd could say we ran across Dwyer and she died in the line of duty. That was easier than dumping her body in the sound and having to cover up her appearance.

It would be easy enough to wash the physical evidence off the body, supply a couple of convenient bullet holes and stage a firefight. There would be signs that she'd engaged in sexual activity, but that wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Regardless, I doubted that scenario would play out or ever happern.

I smiled at Courtney as she stepped out of the elevator and walked into the lounge. She seemed a touch awkward and out of place. I was surprised to find that she had very little experience with this setting and set of circumstances.

"Have a seat," I said when she walked up to the table. "What's your poison?" I asked.

"Excuse me?" She replied. She was slightly perplexed and wasn't sure what I was talking about.

"What do you like to drink, Courtney?" I could feel her apprehension.

She wanted to order a pop or water. She had almost no experience with alcohol from her memories that drifted to the surface of her mind. I quashed the idea of ordering a pop, while reinforcing the idea that she should order a drink to fit in. This was a social setting, and she needed to fit in to gain acceptance from her peers.

The cocktail waitress came back to the table when she saw Courtney join me. "Can I get you something to drink, Miss?" She asked.

"I don't know..." She started.

"Bring her what I'm drinking, and bring me another, Please."

The waitress nodded and scurried away to the bar to turn in our order.

"You don't have much experience with bars and lounges, do you?"

"No, not really..."

"If you're going to make it in the intelligence community, it's experience you'll need to acquire and an environment you'll need to become comfortable in. Too much of our business happens in places like this for you to be a fish out of water in this setting."

"Ok..."

"So how did you manage to make it through the Air Force academy without learning to navigate a bar or having a couple of good stiff drinks. That was the best part of going to college."

The cocktail waitress came back and served our drinks on cocktail napkins and then left to go clean a table.

Courtney shrugged. "My father was a southern Baptist minister, and he was pretty strict with us kids, growing up. He wanted me to go to bible college, but I wanted to fly planes. He couldn't really say no when I got accepted to the Academy. I got my wings and learned how to fly, but by the end of the second year, I new I wasn't going to be a fighter pilot.

"My father wanted me to change schools and wash out, but I changed my focus from fighter pilot to military intelligence and stayed at the academy. I was glad to finally be on my own. I wasn't going to slink home with my tail between my legs and let him run my life, but he made me promise I wouldn't drink while I was in school. I stuck to my word for the most part. The couple of times I had a drink I wasn't in school. There were a couple of trips..."

Courtney's 'trips' were hardly wild spring break fantasies, in fact they were pretty tame. She gone home with some other girls she'd met at the academy, but that was about it.

She picked up her drink and took a sip. She didn't make a face, and I knew she didn't think it was bad. She actually kind of liked it.

We had a few more drinks and chatted for a while until James and Laurent showed up. We went into dinner when they arrived. Courtney wasn't drunk, but she was a little tipsy and more bubbly and open.

Dinner was fun. Laurent sat in silence, but all of us expected him to by now. James was charming. He could be nice when he wanted to be. We didn't discuss the case, but told stories about other cities we'd been to and the unclassified bits of other cases we'd worked. Food helped ground Courtney, and she could walk just fine when we went to the elevators after dinner.

We said good night in the hallway, and Courtney went into her room while I planted the suggestion that she didn't need to lock the other physical locks inside her door. The key card would open her door, but typically you still couldn't get into someones room because there were other mechanical locks inside the door that could only be opened from the inside. She wouldn't use them now.

I dug in my purse for the other keys. I was stalling to give her time to go into her room. I gave Laurent his key and he simply nodded and walked into his room.

I handed James a set of three keys. His, mine and a key to Courtney's room.

"Thanks, Vic," He said with a smirk. "This is going to be fun..."

I could see what he was planning. She should live.

"Remember the deal," I said. "No permanent marks and she lives through this."

"Oh, I'm not going to hurt her. I want to keep this one for a while. She's so sweet and innocent... I wonder what she'll be like in a couple of weeks?"

I shuddered at the thought. "Just stick to the deal. I want to focus on eliminating Dwyer. I'm not losing her this time. This time she goes back with us in a body bag."

I turned away and went into my room. I could still feel James making plans. He went to his room for supplies, and then the planning stopped and the action started.

She didn't even hear him open the door and walk into her room. She was back in the bathroom and had closed the door to take a quick shower and brush her teeth before changing into sleepwear. She was only wearing her panties when she walked out of the bathroom to go get her nightie out of her suitcase.

I was surprised she didn't scream when she walked into the room and found him standing there.

She blushed bright red and tried to cover herself, but she still hadn't figured it out yet.

_James... What are you doing in here? _She asked, startled and perplexed. She was wondering if there was an emergency and maybe I'd sent him to get her.

_I thought maybe we could get to know one another better. I saw you looking. I know you want me..._

"_What?! No! Get out! Leave right now, or I'm going to have to report this..."_

There were no more words.

The soundproofing in the hotel was pretty good. I could hardly hear her screaming.

I monitored the minds in the rooms around us so I wouldn't think about what was happening in the next room. Nobody heard the screams.

I got out my laptop and worked on the mission to try and avoid thinking about what I had unleashed on Courtney. I couldn't completely block it out.

James had a lot of frustrations to work out. It went on for a very long time.

He let her fight the first time. He liked it when they tried to fight. He liked it when they screamed and kicked and clawed at him, but it didn't do her any good.

He tied her up after that so he could enjoy himself and take her at his leisure the second time.

He was winding down by the third time, but it went on and on and on.

I got up when it was almost over. I needed to be there to make sure he stuck to the deal. This would all be a wasted effort if he slit her throat, broke her neck, or strangled her when he was done fucking her, and then I'd have to clean it up.

I used my key and let myself into her room.

There was very little damage, but then the struggle had been brief.

Courtney was tied to the bed. Her wrists were lashed to the headboard with rope. There would be ligature marks and some bruising, but nothing permanent.

Her legs were wrapped around his hips as his body covered hers, resting between her wide splayed thighs.

I could see James ass rise and fall as he pumped into her, rutting like an animal, driving his cock deep on every thrust.

I sat down in the arm chair in the seating group next to the bed. I took out a cigarette and lit it while I waited for him to finish.

This would be over soon.

Courtney was still conscious. She didn't want to like it, but her body was betraying her, and she was going to cum again.

James was waiting for it. He wasn't really holding back, but he'd already fucked her twice tonight. He was waiting for her to cum before he finished.

I could hear her moaning as she strained at her bonds, trying to free her hands. She couldn't scream anymore because he had her gagged now, but she would be if she could.

She could feel the orgasm building too and she wanted to throw him off before he made her cum again.

That wasn't going to happen.

It was profoundly embarrassing to her that she was forced to enjoy what was happening to her. She didn't understand how something so absolutely degrading could possibly feel so incredibly good, but it did as her body responded to the pure animal physical sensation of him fucking her.

James thrust hard and fast, and then she was clenching around him again as waves of forbidden pleasure flashed through her body and her clit throbbed and pulsed with her orgasm.

That was all he was waiting for, and his hips drove forward, burying his cock to the hilt , deep in her sex between her legs. His body went rigid as he grunted against her shoulder and neck. He pumped his seed deep into her belly, filling her with his cum again.

James collapsed on top of her, panting to catch his breath. Then he was climbing off of her and the bed.

He stood beside the bed for a minute considering, standing there in all his glory with his slick wet cock hanging between his legs. He really would have liked this to end differently, but we had a deal. He sighed and started to pick up his clothes. He didn't bother getting dressed.

Courtney was lying there in a daze, her legs hanging spread open as his cum dripped out of her and rolled down the crack of her ass, seeping into the growing wet spot. There was blood on the sheets as well as his cum and her girl juices. Her thoughts were still jumbled as she came down from the orgasmic high, but I had a pretty good idea what the blood meant.

"She's all your's, Vic," James said as he walked away. "She's one sweet little piece of ass."

He grabbed a towel out of the bathroom to wipe himself with on his way to the door. Then he let himself out into the hall and I knew he was going to his room to shower.

I waited until the door closed before I got out of the chair and walked over to the bed.

She was awake and aware now and glaring daggers at me as I sat on the side of the bed beside her.

_You knew...! You knew what he was going to do and you set me up...! You fucking bitch...! You fucking knew and you let him...! You fucking sent him in here and you didn't even warn me...!_

"Are you going to scream or fight? I'll untie you if you can calm down. If you can't be reasonable about this, I'll have to sedate you before I untie you."

_I want him fucking dead...! Fuck jail...! Let me have my fucking gun...! I'll kill that fucking bastard...!_

_That's not going to happen either, _I projected into her mind. _I need James. He's necessary to the mission. I don't need you. You were convenient. James has certain needs to remain effective and efficient. One of those needs is dominating women sexually._

_Then you fuck him...!_

_I do, but it's not enough for him. The sex takes the edge off, and extends the time between episodes like this, but he doesn't get the domination fix he needs by being in control. I'll fuck him, but I won't let him rape me. Can I untie you now?_

I'd slowly been exerting my will while I was in her mind explaining to her. She had calmed down enough that I was pretty sure she wouldn't attack me or scream anymore.

_Yes... I won't fight you..._

I got a good look at her when I reached over to pull the tape off of her mouth. There were things we needed to discuss. I ripped off the tape quick like pulling off a band aid.

She spit out the gag and took a deep breath once her mouth was clear. I glanced at the gag. That was typical James. He'd wadded up her panties and stuffed them in her mouth to gag her. They were probably the same pair she'd worn all day if I knew him.

"How can you do this?" Courtney asked. "How can you live like this? That bastard is a monster! You let him get away with this shit? You should be hunting him down to kill him, not some seventeen year old girl!"

"You said you were going to be good."

"I'm not screaming. I want to know how you can live with yourself."

"It's my job. I'm his handler and I do whatever is necessary to accomplish my mission."

"Part of your mission is letting that bastard rape me?!"

"Yes. If not you, then somebody else. At least we're talking about it and I'm not figuring out where to dump your body."

"Jesus Christ!"

I shrugged as I started to untie the knot lashing her wrist to the headboard. "We made a deal. He promised not to kill you. It was a win-win situation. James got to rape you, I don't have to make you disappear and cover up your death, and you get your promotion. I'll get you combat hazard pay for this assignment too."

"I'm not a fucking prostitute! I don't want more money to make it ok for him to rape me! I wasn't expecting to have to fuck somebody to get a promotion..."

"You're a woman. We always get fucked sooner or later. At least you didn't have to fuck your boss for the job and nobody will ever know about this."

"You're fucking kidding, right?! Of course somebody is going to know about this! I want his ass arrested! Or better yet dead!"

"He's not going to be arrested, Courtney, and if anyone ends up dead, it'll be you. We need him that much. You're collateral damage. Now suck it up and deal with it."

"How can you say that? Don't you realize what he's done to me! What he's taken from me...?"

I looked at her again and I knew. I could feel her screaming it at me in her mind. The blood stains on the sheets spoke louder than words.

"You were a virgin? You're twenty-four and you went to college. How the hell does a girl get through college and a military academy without getting fucked?"

I finished untying her other wrist and she wrapped her arms around herself and curled into a ball on the mattress.

"I said no..." She whispered.

"You're probably not on the pill then either..."

"Why the fuck would I be on the pill if I've never had sex before? I don't have a boyfriend. I'm not married... I was raised to believe that you don't have sex with anyone but your husband."

"Ok..." I got up and walked over to the table and opened my purse. I walked back over and laid the package on the nightstand.

Courtney had felt me get up, and she glanced over her shoulder at the package when I sat back down on the bed.

"What the fuck is that?" She asked.

"It's a morning after pill. Take it within seventy-two hours to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. When we get back to the base, go to the dispensary and get on the pill."

"I can't take that! It's against my religious beliefs!"

I shrugged. "When was your last period?" She didn't need to say it out loud. I could feel her counting in her mind.

"You don't have to tell me. You have about a twenty-five percent chance of getting pregnant from what happened tonight. If you take the pill you won't get pregnant and you'll be protected for ten days. That should be long enough for your birth control pills to become effective."

"I'm not going to get on the pill..."

"Do you want to have James baby?"

"No! I'm not having sex with him again! I don't need to be on the pill! I'm not taking that pill! I can live with twenty-five percent more than I can stomach taking that pill!"

"Courtney... We're going to be in Washington until we find Isabel Dwyer. We could be here for weeks, maybe longer. A lot longer. You're attached to our team for the duration. Now you know what your job on the team is. I'm sorry it has to be like this... Next time it'll get easier..."

"Next time! There isn't going to be any next time!"

"I'll give you some time to think about it. I only have one question for you."

"What could you possibly want to ask me? You know everything I'm thinking..."

"Laurent can erase your memory of tonight. The only reason we're even having this conversation is for your benefit should you decide you want to keep your memories. Otherwise he'll wipe the events of tonight from your mind. You'll wake up in the morning and think you had a nightmare. I'll make you accept the physical evidence. I can't hide the fact that you've had sex and aren't a virgin anymore, but the false memories I plant will make you believe it was probably voluntary.

"You'll think you got drunk and the rest will be a blur. You won't have any memory of this ever happening tomorrow. The next time it happens it'll all be fresh and new and just as horrible all over again, only it probably won't hurt as much."

"Oh my god! That's not a choice you sick twisted bitch!"

"It's a very simple choice. Either pick up that pill and put it in your mouth, or put your pistol in your mouth and resign. I'll find another volunteer after we dispose of your body. You have all kinds of choices. Just none of them are very pleasant to consider.

"I'll give you some time to think about it."

"Oh my god! You're just going to keep letting him rape me every night, over and over again, and then erase my memory of it so I forget it even happened?!"

"That's the plan, yes, only you don't have to forget if you don't want to... He's not that bad in the sack and he can be nice if he wants to be. Unfortunately, if you choose to remember, he's likely to become more physically violent when he rapes you.

"He's agreed not to leave any permanent marks, so he probably won't hit you as long as we keep wiping your mind. That would change if you know what's going on."

"You're a monster! No wonder there's an agency that hunts and kills monsters like you!"

"One of the perks of the job is nobody's hunting us. We're the hunters."

**Author's note:**

Ok, so if you've managed to get this far, the POV will shift again in the next chapter and we'll continue Bella's story from Bella's POV

I also posted chapter 20 of The Darkest Part of the Night, so hopefully that story should be back on track again.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	6. Cullen Girls

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 5 Cullen Girls

I slept soundly, and Charlie was gone when I got up on Sunday morning. I showered and threw on a tank top and shorts and wandered around the house exploring. I didn't invade Charlie's privacy and go through his room, but I looked over the rest of the house and poked my nose into drawers and cabinets and closets, familiarizing myself with where I lived now. There were no skeletons in the closet, as far as I could tell. It appeared to be a normal suburban house, except for the fact that it was too clean to be a single man's house.

There was a note from Charlie pinned to the bulletin board in the kitchen. It simply said "_Clean up your mess_," and there was a single key pinned to the board below the note.

I went to the gun cabinet in the coat closet and the key fit. I knew what he expected and I got out my pistol. There was a cleaning kit in the cabinet, and I took it and the gun to the kitchen table. I field stripped the pistol, disassembling it to each of its major assemblies and removing every part that didn't require special tools to remove. I thoroughly cleaned it before reassembling and reloading it.

I didn't take it back up to my room. I replaced it in the cabinet and locked it up after taking inventory of the home arsenal. Charlie had a couple of police issue combat shotguns, one really nice semi-automatic shotgun with a folding para-trooper style folding stock and a sling, some hunting rifles and assorted long arms. His service revolver was in the cabinet in the holster on his utility belt with my Glock and an assortment of pistols. He had ammo for all of them in both boxes and spare clips for the weapons that had magazines.

I went back up to my room to practice with my shield after I put the gun away. Normally I practiced with my shield on a daily basis, as long as I had privacy from prying eyes. That was hard on the road sometimes.

I had a regular workout routine I went through to stretch my ability and try and push the envelope on the techniques I could use to manipulate the ability. What I could do with my special abilities had kept us alive on more than one occasion and learning how to manipulate it and use it was important to my survival. I hadn't been able to practice for over a week now, and I didn't want to get rusty. Using the shield and other abilities required mental concentration and I had studied several meditation techniques to focus my mind. I could generate and manipulate multiple force shields simultaneously, but my power was primarily limited by my concentration. Once I stopped thinking about a shield, it simply ceased to exist except for my basic personal shield.

My basic shield simply protected my mind and shielded the people around me from the natural gamma radiation and microwave energy I generated simply by existing. It wasn't like my force shield, it didn't bounce bullets or stop physical damage. It was more of just a radiation shield, which made me think mental abilities had to have some sort of mental wave or ray to work that had similar properties to other forms of radiation, but that was just my theory based on pure conjecture. my basic shield conformed to the shape of my skin and I didn't even have to think about it to know it was on and active. It was just there, twenty-four seven whether I was a asleep or unconscious or wide awake. It took conscious effort to completely drop it, and it would spring back into existence once I stopped suppressing it. The other shields I was able to generate were the exact opposite and were usually more like a shield of invisible force which I could manipulate for a variety of effects.

In a pinch, I could throw a version of my basic shield around others like I had done to Charlie or Jessica the other day for basic mental and radiation defense, but more commonly, when push came to shove; I generated near-indestructible invisible spherical force bubbles around myself or other targets. The shield acted in a primarily defensive manner, although I suppose somebody could get hurt if they ran into it. I used my ability to manipulate radiation and electromagnetic effects to kick ass, but that was a little more difficult to practice indoors.

With practice, I was learning to vary the texture and tensile strength of the field to some extent, rendering it highly rigid or as soft and yielding as foam. Softer variations on the shield could enable me to cushion impacts more gently, and were less likely to result in a backlash against me.

Sufficiently powerful attacks on my shields could cause me both mental and physical pain. This sort of backlash was most common when I reacted instinctively or was taken unawares. I could bounce bullets if I was expecting them, or stop a building from falling on me, but taking a sudden hit on the shield when I wasn't braced and expecting it was like a shock to my system. I supposed it was mostly a psychological reaction. It didn't really make sense that I could stop more if I was thinking about it and was ready and expecting it, but the same sorts of things taking me unawares would hurt me more. It didn't make a lot of sense but that was just how it worked.

I could make my shields opaque or translucent like milk glass to effectively block variations of light like laser-beams and blinding flashes of light. I could make the shields semi permeable to filter oxygen from water or keep smoke out to breath inside a burning building, although these functions were mentally taxing. I was able to distinguish between different types of radiation and electromagnetic effects much more easily because of my firefly ability and selectively shield any form of radiation or electromagnetic effects that I could feel and detect.

A large part of my workout right now was working on trying to shape my force shields into invisible constructs. I was experimenting with creating simple shapes such as barriers, columns, cylinders, platforms, rams, spheres, etc. I was getting better at forming the basic shapes, but so far I had been unsuccessful at generating any additional force behind my constructs to make them move. I thought I could turn them into offensive weapons like invisible battering rams or small projectiles like spheres or darts if I could figure out how to move them. So far they continued to remain stationary where I generated them, or moved as I moved. I could wrap a shield around someone and it would move with them, but I couldn't make them move by themselves yet. I didn't know if I ever would.

I could generate solid force constructs as small as a marble or as large as a hundred feet in diameter, so far. My hollow projections such as domes and bubbles worked to the same basic dimensions. What I'd always wished I could do was figure out how to travel on top of animated constructs like stepping discs, but that didn't work because I couldn't move the constructs or use them to generate force. I couldn't create a marble and cause it to expand to blow something up. I couldn't create a disk under my feet and cause it to grow into a column to lift me into the air, but if something was going to fall, I could create a brace to hold it up. I had figured out how to do something almost as cool as a moving construct though, and it had a lot more potential.

I had used my ability to shield different forms of electromagnetism to learn how to shield the force of gravity. I still couldn't move the shield, but the shield would move with me. Shielding gravity made me effectively weightless. I was unaffected by the earth's gravity when I applied this particular filter to my shield, but it was something new, and I was still working out all the bugs.

I could jump into the air and go a long ways on momentum alone, but so far it was a far cry from pulling off the superman shtick. I could feel the earth's magnetic field and use my energy projection ability to maneuver by generating and manipulating opposing fields. I could maneuver around, spin in place and turn in any direction, or even move around to a degree simply by using the magnetic effect, but so far I'd never really cut loose to see what I could really do. Using my ability to generate and project electromagnetic radiation allowed me to move while I was weightless because I could generate an ionized particle stream to push myself around and generate thrust. It didn't take a whole lot of thrust to move around when you were effectively weightless.

Basically I had figured out how to use a kind limited flight capability. I suppose it was limited because I was a chicken shit, and had never really cut loose to see what I could do, but I couldn't do very much without frying everything around me, and it was still very experimental. If I cut loose enough with my power to really try anything, everyone in town would know it. So far it was useful mostly for jumping off buildings and surviving. I'd carefully crossed from roof top to rooftop before without causing a scene.

It wasn't exactly useful for flying around town because generating enough energy to move around like that would be obvious to people ten miles away. I glowed like a lighthouse beacon when I cut loose enough to generate the kind of energy it took to really move around.

So far I was simply pleased to learn how to levitate proficiently and float around the room using directed pulses of energy to create tiny spurts of thrust for movement. I hadn't been anywhere private enough to do any extensive practicing outdoors. I was still waiting for an opportunity to see what I could really do if I cut loose and tried to go higher and faster.

The problem was, I'd looked at maps on Google, and although I could be invisible to radar, I knew there were surveillance satellites that filmed almost every square inch of the earth's surface. While they might not be looking for me in a satellite picture, a huge streak of light moving across the picture like a shooting star in the atmosphere might clue somebody in that something strange was going on. Besides, those were just the pictures that were released for civilian use.

I was pretty sure the military had better, more sophisticated, more accurate satellites that they used for defense systems and early warning. I knew they couldn't look everywhere all the time. The satellites orbited the earth and could only see a limited area when they were overhead, but I had no clue when they were watching and when it was safe to practice.

I'd been playing it safe and avoided doing anything that would stand out and attract attention. The last thing I needed was to stand outside and glow like a lighthouse beacon. I was trying to lie low and avoid having anyone know where I was hiding. Cutting loose and practicing outside would be like waving a red flag in the air saying, 'here I am, come kill me!'

Sitting there Indian style hovering two feet over my bed, encapsulated in a shield bubble while I exercised my powers for a couple of hours was both mentally and physically taxing. I finished up with some quiet meditation, and it was relaxing, but I was wringing wet with sweat and totally famished when I finished my shield routine. I moved over a towel before I popped the bubble and stood up so the pool of sweat collecting inside the bottom of the bubble wouldn't soak my bed. It soaked the towel instead, but I used it to wipe down before I hopped in the shower to clean up. I got dressed to go down to the kitchen to find something to eat once I was clean and dry and felt almost human again.

I seriously needed to re-stock Charlie's kitchen. Mother Hubbard's pooch had a better chance for survival than I did if I was going to live here. Charlie said he ate out a lot, but I'd barely be able to manage to scrape a ham sandwich together as I went through the freezer and refrigerator in search of edibles if I tried to eat here, and we'd just gone shopping yesterday. I took some frozen chicken out of the freezer to thaw, but I'd starve to death before I could make fried chicken. I'd save it for dinner.

Luckily I still had most of the money Charlie had given me when I went out last night. I called him and told him I was going out to get something to eat. He said we could go grocery shopping Monday night, but he had several suggestions for me for lunch. I ended up at Sully's Drive-in for a burger and fries a little after lunch time.

Sully's was an old fashioned burger joint, unlike modern fast food restaurants, and custom cooked every burger. They had real French fries made fresh from real potatoes instead of deep fried frozen potato sticks that were poured out of a bag. They also offered pizza and a full dessert menu of ice cream parlor items.

There were a couple of cars in the parking lot when I pulled in. The blue Pontiac Sunbird convertible looked familiar, but I didn't place it at once. The Porsche 911 turbo was parked next to it. I walked inside to order, and was standing at the counter when I heard a familiar voice call my name. I looked over my shoulder and saw Sara sitting with the girls I recognized from the Cullen group home. I finished ordering, and went over to say hi.

"Hey, Bella, getting some lunch?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, I was doing my workout routine, and I was famished when I was done. Charlie's kitchen was like Mother Hubbard's cupboard, so I decided to go out for lunch."

"C'mon and join us," Sara said, sliding over in the booth to make room for me to sit down. "We just ordered."

"Ok," I said, sitting down beside Sara. "So, who are you friends?" I asked, curious to meet the other two girls I'd seen last night.

"This is Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale. Their mom is the coach for the wrestling cheerleading squad at school. Alice is in our class, she's a junior this year and Rosalie is a senior."

"It's nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Bella Swan. I just moved here. I'm starting school on Monday."

"Hi, Bella, it's nice to meet you," Alice said. She had a huge smile on her face and seemed friendly enough. Her sister was another story though.

"Bella Swan?" Rosalie said. "I suppose that's makes sense." She seemed almost hostile and glared at me like she didn't want to even associate with me at all. I hadn't done anything to her, and I couldn't understand what she seemed to hold against me. I couldn't think of any logical reason that she'd have to dislike me.

"Rose, be nice," Alice chided her foster sister. "Bella is adjusting to a lot right now."

"Fine." Rosalie said and just sat and glared at me. It made me more than a little uncomfortable, but Alice and Sara were friendly. I wasn't going to let Rosalie's negative attitude run me off when the other girls were being nice to me.

Alice turned back to me. "I'm glad you finally made it to Forks. I know we're going to get along just fine. You wait and see; we'll be best friends before you know it."

"Ok… Thanks Alice. I could use a friend about now…" Renee had been my best friend for years, and she was gone now. She'd been the only constant in my life for the last two years, and now I was on my own, trying to make a new life. I had Charlie now, but that was completely new. It would take time for him to really become a part of my life, but I was willing to give him the chance.

Our food got delivered about then, and we chatted while we ate. Alice kept the conversation light and suggested several neutral topics we could discuss without delving into any of our histories. Sara seemed surprised by how much food I'd ordered, although Alice and Rose seemed to take it in stride. Alice was eating a salad and drinking diet pop. Sara had ordered a veggie burger, and had splurged for a small order of fried zucchini but was drinking a diet Pepsi. Rose was just sipping an iced tea, and hadn't ordered anything else. Maybe starvation was the price of physical perfection. None of them were fat, but I knew most girls had to really watch what they ate and these three probably worked out and exercised to keep their neat trim little bodies.

Sara and Alice looked at me a little enviously and Sara seemed a bit in awe of me as I ate a double bacon cheeseburger, a large order of French fries with ketchup and a root beer float. I couldn't explain to them that I'd easily burn off all the calories. Hell, I'd probably burned more than this many calories with my workout this morning. I suppose in a sense, I worked out harder than they did, but my metabolism was different and I had to eat a lot to fuel my body and abilities. Still, it had to seem odd to them that I could eat like this, and was still thinner than all three of them. Well, maybe not Alice, but she beyond petite and had a smaller frame. They probably figured I was just going to throw it all up later, but I wouldn't need too. I'd need to eat again later, not purge lunch.

I got up and excused myself to go to the ladies room to wash my hands after lunch. Sara gave me a sad knowing smile like she thought she knew what I was up to and none of them offered to accompany me, probably wanting to give me privacy for what they thought I was going to do.

I was surprised when Rosalie walked into the ladies room and stepped up to the next sink beside me, gazing into the mirror to check her impeccable good looks.

"I'm not going to make trouble for you," Rosalie said. "We'll see how this works out and see how well you hide."

"What?!" I said, completely flabbergasted.

"So far you're not trying very hard to make this work, Isabel or Bella or whatever name you're using now."

"I'm not?" I asked curiously.

"Bella is fine, it fits. When you move to a new town and change your name, don't tell people your old name. I can't believe you told Jessica Stanley your name was Bella Dwyer. It's been handled. Don't slip up again. If you can't keep basic secrets, then you're too dangerous to keep around."

Rosalie dried her hands and walked out of the bathroom while I stood there with my mouth hanging open. She knew who I was.

She was right, it was a stupid mistake, but how did she know? How did she know it mattered, and how had she handled it?

I hung out with the three girls the rest of the afternoon. Rosalie remained civil and didn't try to verbally attack me or act nasty. She didn't give up anything else at all, as though the conversation had never happened and I couldn't very well question her with Sara around. I supposed she was giving me the benefit of the doubt, but she was still guarded and wary.

We all exchanged cell phone numbers and then we went and dropped off Sara's car. The blue Pontiac Sunbird convertible I'd noticed in the parking lot turned out to be hers. I must have seen it at the bowling alley the night before, but hadn't realized it was her car. The Porsche 911 turbo turned out to belong to Alice, but she left it at the drive-in and said she'd pick it up later.

The four of us piled into my Monte Carlo because it had the most room and we drove around town for a while after I told them I'd only been in Forks since Friday afternoon and didn't even know where the high school was. We drove over to the school, and they showed me where the student parking lot was. We got out of the car and they showed me how to get to the office and where the cafeteria and gym were. They were both detached separate buildings that we'd have to go out in the rain to walk to. The wrestling room was upstairs in the gym.

I had one question I was curious about as we walked around the empty campus on Sunday afternoon. I took out a cigarette and lit it, smoking it as we walked around the deserted school buildings.

"So I was reading the student hand book on the school website, and it said this is a drug free zone, which is cool, but it said it's a tobacco free campus too. So where do you go to have a smoke during the day?" I asked.

"Umm… You don't…" Rosalie said, and Alice glared at her. "You can get in trouble and even get suspended for even having cigarettes in your purse," Rosalie continued.

"It's not that bad, Bella." Sara said. "Can I bum a smoke?" I took the pack out of my purse and offered her one. She took it and I lit it for her. I offered the other girls. Rosalie shook her head no and stepped back like I was offering her drugs or something but Alice took out her own cigarettes and lit one.

"There aren't any smoking areas on campus, and it's true you can get written up if they catch you with cigarettes at school." Sara continued. "I don't bother most of the time and just leave them in my car for after school. You won't have time for a cigarette between classes, but its open campus for lunch and you can leave to have a cigarette if you want. You can drive off campus or walk across the street, but some of the kids that smoke and a lot of the teachers go out behind the cafeteria at lunch for a smoke. Technically you have to go past the tree north of the cafeteria to be off school property, but it's more of a 'don't ask don't tell' policy. Anyone that could write you up is probably out there having a smoke with you."

"You know, this is the real reason I didn't go out for cheerleader," Alice said. "I could have done the whole cheerleader thing, but there was no way I was going sit on a bus for three or four hours each way without having a smoke. I still go to all the games to help Esme and cheer for Jasper, but I don't have to ride the bus and I don't mind so much if can travel to the games however I want."

"Yeah, as if you ever drove to a game, let alone sat in a car for three hours," Rose commented. "Unless you were in the back seat, but then the car wouldn't be moving…".

Alice shrugged it off and ignored the innuendo. "So we get there faster than three hours. I don't have any speeding tickets, do I?"

Rosalie chuckled, finally starting to lighten up a little. "No, I suppose you don't."

We drove around town some more, and they showed me where different people I'd met lived. We listened to music and they told me stories about the school and the kids and the wrestling team. They talked about wrestling meets they'd gone to last year and who our rivals were, which schools had good wrestlers, and who they thought we could beat. All three of the girl's boyfriends were wrestlers, so they stayed current with the sport, and could easily discuss it.

After a while, we went back to Sara's house to hang out. I called Charlie to check in, and let him know where I was. Sara lived on the next block over from me, practically on the opposite side of the block from Angela. She was still good friends with Angela, but Angela had gotten more into sports like soccer and volleyball and basketball as she got older while Sara became more interested in cheerleading, drill team and dance.

I could relate even if that wasn't quite my cup of tea. If I'd been able to lead a normal life, I was pretty sure sports wouldn't have been my thing. I never would have even considered cheerleading, but I couldn't say how my life would have turned out if I was a normal teenaged girl and had been going to school for the last couple of years. I'd always enjoyed reading and the classics. I liked all kinds of music, but I didn't know what groups I might have joined, or what extracurricular activities I might have participated in. Maybe I would have gotten involved in band, or hooked up with the drama crowd. It was a little late to take up a musical instrument, but I could still be in a play if I wanted to.

We hung out in Sara's family room and watched music videos and talked more, getting to know each other. It was actually fun hanging out with girls my own age and not having any more cares than what I was going to wear to school and which guys were hot and who was dating whom.

Sara asked me about what had happened with Jacob last night. She squealed when I told them he'd kissed me on the cheek and he said he was going to ask me out some time. Alice and Rosalie both knew who he was. They seemed a little cool to the fact that he wanted to spend time with me.

"You're not going to go hang out with him in La Push, are you?" Alice asked.

"Umm… No… I met Sam Uley in Sequim the other day when I went shopping with Charlie. He didn't seem too keen on the idea of me spending a lot of time in La Push…"

"Hunh," Rosalie snorted. "He'd more likely run you out of town on a rail and kick your ass down the road if he thought he could get away with it."

"Really?" Sara asked. "I've never had any trouble in La Push. I don't hang out there a lot, but we go surfing and hang out at the beach a couple of times every season. There are some really cool tide pools that are like big natural aquariums at low tide. First beach is amazing."

"We're not really welcome in La Push," Alice said, "but I pop in from time to time. You should be careful with Jacob, though, Bella. Everything could change in a heartbeat with guys like him."

"What do you mean, 'guys like him'?"

"Nothing against Jacob, but he can change how he feels about everything now, overnight. Don't let him hurt you."

"I'll keep that in mind…"

I told Sara goodbye around dinner time. I gave Alice and Rosalie a ride back to the drive-in to pick up Alice's car, and then went home.

Charlie was watching football when I walked in and wanted to know if I wanted to order pizza. I told him I'd taken chicken out to thaw, and went into the kitchen to make fried chicken. At least he had everything I needed to bread it and fry it. I guess it was pretty much the same things he kept on hand to fry the fish he caught.

I told Charlie I was going up to my room after we cleaned up the kitchen together after dinner. I read for a little while, but my heart wasn't really in it. If I was honest with myself, I really was nervous about starting school tomorrow. At least I knew some of the kids now, but I hadn't gone to school for almost two years and the first day of school at a new school was always a nerve wracking experience. Finally I got ready for bed but I couldn't sleep. I lay in bed trying to sleep but I mostly tossed and turned as I fretted about Monday.

~*`MTH`*~

I realized I must have finally drifted off at some point, but I was lying in bed awake for all practical intents and purposes when my alarm went off Monday morning. I had slept, but it was a restless nervous sleep as I lay anticipating the first day of school. I had set the alarm earlier than necessary so I'd have plenty of time to get ready and get to school early to get my class schedule for the rest of the school year.

I shut off the alarm and rolled out of bed. I was pretty sure Charlie was still asleep when I grabbed the toiletries bag off the vanity and silently padded down the hall to the bathroom. I ran a hot shower and felt almost human and more wide awake after I scrubbed my body clean and washed and conditioned my hair. I got out and dried off and then brushed my teeth. I was blow drying my hair when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Yes?" I called through the door without shutting off the blow dryer.

"Are you about done in there, Bella?" I heard Charlie call through the door.

"Umm… Just a couple of minutes… I'm almost done," I lied.

It was going to be more than a couple of minutes, but I wasn't going to walk out of the bathroom with half dried hair. It would take forever to dry in this wet soggy environment. It wasn't humid, but everything was just always wet. I suppose it was fine if you were a moss or a fern or a tree, but I wanted my hair dried the way I liked it.

There was another soft knock at the door a couple of minutes later. "It's been a couple of minutes, are you done? I need to get ready for work."

"Alright… Just a couple of minutes…" I stalled again.

Again there was a knock on the door but it wasn't so soft this time. "I'm going to be late for work, are you done? Take the dryer to your room to finish! I'm counting to three, and then I'm coming in!"

"Alright… hold on! Let me grab a towel…" I said as I shut off the blow dryer.

I hastily grabbed the towel, and wrapped it around my body to cover myself as the door knob started to turn. Charlie pushed the door open without further warning. He looked a little groggy and was wearing a pair of sleep pants and a Forks police t-shirt.

"Sorry, Bells, out." He commanded as he pointed out into the hall. "Take the dryer, I don't need it…" I collected my toiletries and the blow dryer, and stepped out into the hallway without comment.

"Sorry. Bells, but I gotta have a job to pay the bills." Then he unceremoniously closed the door in my face.

Well, it was our first morning with both of us trying to get ready at the same time. We'd work out a routine, and I really was up earlier than I needed to be. I walked back down to my room and plugged the blow dryer back in, and finished drying my hair.

I got dressed in my new clothes for the first day of school, picking out a pair of jeans the hugged my hips and legs snugly, and a pair of new shirts, layering a print t-shirt over a long sleeved t-shirt. I put on my new sneakers, and then sat down at the vanity to do my makeup.

My skin was so pale that it made it difficult for me to find the perfect makeup for my very fair skin. Most colors looked too heavy or really brash against my pale skin tone. I started off with a light concealer I'd found that matched my skin to cover the dark circles under my eyes from my restless night and the couple splotches and odd colored spots that stood out. I didn't have any blemishes to speak of, or any freckles to cover. I suppose some people thought freckles were beautiful. I had nothing against them, but they just looked odd covered up.

Next I applied a light dusting of matte powder. I found this was better than foundation because most had an orangy tint that shows more on light skin, making you look a funny color. I didn't want to try and add a lot of color because it would stand out and be noticeable. I just wanted an even shade and a matte finish so my face didn't shine. I used a light pink blush on the apples of my cheeks. Just smiling showed me where to find them, and I just brushed on a little blush instead of drawing it up to the temple to try and accentuate my cheekbones.

The eyelashes were next and I applied a couple of coats of black mascara while paying careful attention to the outside corners. I only did one layer on the lower lashes to make them stand out a bit. I curled my eyelashes with the brush, but no matter how careful I was, I always managed to make a mess on my eyelids. I used a q-tip and some lotion to dab the dried mascara off the eyelid, and swiped it clean with the dry end of the q-tip swab. I had to use a dab of concealer on my eyelids and the outside corners of my eyes but I was satisfied with the overall result. I lined my bottom lashes with white eyeliner to make my eyes look bigger. I kept it simple and didn't bother with eye shadow or any additional color for my basic everyday makeup.

Once my eyes were done, I used an eyebrow brush to brush the powder and any stray concealer out of my eyebrows. I applied some lightly tinted lip balm and a bit of clear lip gloss and I was ready for the day.

I took the pistol out from under my pillow and double checked the clip before I put it back in the holster, and put it back in my purse. I knew what Charlie would say about it, and I was already planning on leaving it in the car, no matter how dangerous that was. If I was attacked at school I was going to have to fight my way out to survive, and I knew I'd probably be doing that with a gun.

Maybe if the shop came for me, they'd just send agents, and I'd be able to use my powers, but I didn't hold out much hope of that happening. They knew how dangerous a target I was. If James and Victoria found me, they'd have Laurent with them, and I wouldn't be able to fry their asses until he was dead. They knew he was the only reason they were still alive so I knew they wouldn't come after me without him.

I grabbed my coat and new messenger bag and went downstairs to see what there was for breakfast before I left for the day. Charlie was dressed in his police uniform and was standing in the kitchen when I walked in. He was rinsing out a coffee mug in the sink, and then put it in the dishwasher.

"Mornin', Bella," Charlie said. "Sorry about the bathroom this morning… Old habits die hard."

"It's ok. We'll work out a routine… I shouldn't have been hogging the bathroom and I'm up way earlier than I need to be. I guess it's just nerves… I don't want to be in the way and disrupt your life."

"You're not in the way. We'll work it out, and things will settle down. Umm… You are up awful early. I figured I'd be gone for the day by the time you got up. I don't think the school is even open yet."

"It's the first day… I didn't sleep well. I wanted to make sure I was there early to get my schedule before school starts…"

"You sure you don't want me to go with you? I could introduce you to Mrs. Cope and Principal Greene…"

"NO! I mean… I'm enrolled already, right?" God, the last thing I needed was Charlie walking me into the school and trying to make a production out of this. I wasn't five years old, and I didn't need my dad to take me to school…

"Yeah, you're enrolled, but it was a rush job. They may not have all your paperwork finished yet. They should have a schedule for you in the office, though. You know where the school is, right?"

"It's a small town, Charlie. I would have found it anyhow. Besides, Sara took me there yesterday after we had lunch. The girls showed me where to park and where the office is."

"Ok, so, you're coming home after school?"

"That's the plan."

"Alright, why don't you meet me at the Diner at say five and we'll get some dinner? Then we can go to the Thriftway to grocery shop. Newton's Outfitters is in the same building, and we can see about getting your gym clothes. I forgot about them when we were at Walmart the other day."

"Oh… gym class… I forgot about that. They really require four years of gym class here?"

"Yes, I asked, and you're expected to take it every year until you graduate."

"Ok, I'll meet you there. Be safe, Charlie."

"I always am. Lock the door when you leave. Bye, Bells," and Charlie left, shutting the door behind himself.

I walked back into the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee and rooted around to see what there was to eat for breakfast. I ended up heating up a leftover piece of fried chicken from the night before. I cleaned up my mess when I was done, throwing away the bones, and washing my hands in the sink. I rinsed out my coffee cup when I was done with it and put it in the dish washer like Charlie had.

I still had some time, so I locked the door behind myself, and stood out on the porch smoking a cigarette before I left for school. I crushed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray Charlie had left on the porch for me when I was done, and tossed the butt in the can on the corner of the porch.

I walked across the lawn and got into the Monte Carlo. I started the engine so it could warm up, and checked my makeup in the vanity mirror in the sun visor. I touched up my lip gloss, but I knew I was stalling. I put the tube back in my purse. I left the cigarettes in. Nobody was going to go through my purse if I had to cut off their hands to stop them. I thought about it for a minute, but I took the pistol out and clipped the holster under my seat.

I doubted there were any metal detectors at a school this small, but I'd play this Charlie's way for now. I realized it was a bad idea to take a gun to school, but there were people that were seriously trying to kill me. They'd killed the man I'd considered to be my father for most of my life, they'd killed my mother, and I knew they were coming for me. They'd kill Charlie when they figured out who he was, and they wouldn't care how many innocent bystanders got caught in the crossfire to get to me. They didn't care how many people they had to go through to get to me as long as they could prove I was dead.

I knew it. I'd seen it happen before as the shop agents gunned down all the customers in a gas station convenience store to try and take us out, and then blamed us and said it was a failed robbery attempt. Why the hell would I rob the place and kill five people when the video clearly showed me paying for my gas and waiting for my change? At least until the photo shopped version of the surveillance camera footage was released to the media.

They'd probably bomb the high school or nuke Forks if they thought they could take me out like that. The only thing stopping them was the fact that they didn't know where I was and they wanted a confirmed kill to know I was really dead. They needed my body to prove that, so a nuke was out, but they wouldn't care how much collateral damage there was if they absolutely knew they could get me.

In reality, they'd need a shadow as powerful as Laurent to void my powers to take me out.

Most shadows only blocked passive powers like sniffs or trackers. They might be able to blank out a watcher for a while, until they figured out an angle to look around the blank spot, but Laurent was special. He could void anybody's abilities if they got within range of his shadow. He could literally turn your abilities off and make you like a normal human if he was close by. I'd heard his power was so potent because he had two related power sets like me. Rumor was that he was a shadow and an eraser.

Erasers could take your memories. They could make you forget everything that had happened for a block of time, a minute, an hour, a day. Years if they wanted to. They could wipe out your whole life, and once it was gone, there was no getting it back.

Laurent scared me more than James or Victoria.

James just wanted me dead, but he was a sick sadistic bastard, and I didn't want to think about what he'd do to me before he put a bullet in my brain to finish me off.

Victoria wanted to take me back to her masters so they could use me for a lab rat and figure out how I ticked. I'd still end up dead, but not until they collected all their samples and had run all their tests.

Laurent could wipe out my life and make me forget everything I was fighting for and everyone I had ever loved. That would be worse than dying in my eyes because my loved ones that I'd lost only lived in my memories and they'd be gone forever if he took them from me.

I tried not to think about them as I put the car in gear and backed out of the driveway. It was a short drive to the high school, but farther than I would have wanted to walk in the heavy rain like drizzle and November cold. To be honest, it was more than twelve blocks, and I'd have to cross the highway to get there. I approached the school from the south, and turned left onto Spartan avenue. The entrance to the student parking lot was a block and a half up the street and I turned right into the lot.

It was still dark out but the parking lot was lit by a light on the street and another light on the wall of the cafeteria that played over most of the lot. I could see a lightening in the east, and I knew it would be sunrise soon. The parking lot was mostly deserted, but I was surprised to see a couple of cars. There was a pickup truck and a couple of other cars parked close to the cafeteria and the path that led to the gym. There was a silver Volvo that stood out as the nicest car in the group.

I parked next to the other cars because I'd have to follow the same path to get to the administration building and the office, but I was at a loss why anyone else would be here so early. I was shutting off the engine when another car pulled into the lot and parked at the end of the row of cars. Three guys climbed out of the car, dressed in sweats and workout wear carrying gym bags. One of them wore a letter jacket that had 'Spartan Wrestling' blazoned across the back.

I recognized Conner from the other night at the bowling alley, and I got out of the car. I was standing on the sidewalk when the group of guys walked over to me.

"Hey, Bella, you're here pretty early. What's up?"

"First day jitters… I wanted to be here early to get my schedule. I was going to ask you the same thing. Why are you guys here so early?"

"Weight room. The guys on the wrestling team and basketball team come in early to work out in the morning before school. Keeps us in shape and gives us an edge in meets from the extra strength training."

"You work out in the weight room in the morning before school and go to wrestling practice after school?"

"Hey, gotta live the dream. This doesn't just happen," he said as he slapped his rock hard abs with a sound like knocking on wood. "We gotta run, see you in school, Bella. Good luck today."

Conner waved as he left with his buddies to go to the weight room. I took a deep breath to collect my thoughts and slung my messenger bag over my shoulder. I followed the path around until I saw the sign on the admin building that said 'Office'. There were lights on in the windows, so I assumed somebody was here this early.

I pushed open the door of the office and stepped inside. It was warm and dry and filled with office smells. The floor was covered in an orange institutional grade of carpet, and the walls were painted pale green. A long counter separated the lobby from the rest of the room. There was a row of chairs along the wall by the door. Posters for school events were taped up on the walls and a variety of flyers were taped to the edge of the counter. Baskets of forms and papers were stacked on the counter. A large round analog clock hung high on the wall ticking away the minutes of the day as the second hand went round and round. Half of the back wall of the room was glass, and a door in the glass wall led to more offices beyond in the rest of the building.

There were three desks stacked with paperwork, forms, and computer monitors behind the counter, but only one of them was occupied at the moment. The lady seated at the desk was middle aged and a little on the heavy side. She had short bright orange hair that had to have come out of a bottle, and was wearing thick horn rimmed glasses that had a cord that ran around the back of her neck attached to the ends of the temples. She was wearing an oversized purple t-shirt that said 'Go Spartans' on the front, a pair of loose black slacks and tennis shoes. She was busy working on something on her computer and hadn't noticed me yet. The sign on her desk said Mrs. Cope.

I stepped up to the counter, and said, "Hi… I'm Bella Swan… I'm new here…"

Mrs. Cope looked up at me and smiled. "You must be Chief Swan's daughter. You look just like Charlie. Have a seat, dear, and let me finish this up. You're early… I have to finish your paperwork, and then I can get you going."

I nodded. "Ok…" There wasn't any use trying to rush her. I sat down in the row of chairs and waited.

I couldn't help glancing at the clock. I looked at it again, and then again, and ended up staring at it as the second hand went around, and the minutes slowly ticked by. I didn't know why I'd bothered getting here so early. I could see the sky lightening outside the building as the sun rose, and I could hear people moving around outside. Finally an interminable wait later, Mrs. Cope called me up to the counter.

"Bella, c'mon hon. I've got you all settled."

I got out of my chair and walked back to the counter. "Sorry to make you wait, dear. This was all very last minute. Principal Greene called me over the weekend and asked me to come in early today to get you enrolled. Friday was a holiday, and nobody was here."

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble… I thought they would have called sooner. Charlie didn't find out until Thursday, and I was already on my way…"

"It's no trouble, dear. It's what I do. Now, I have all your paperwork here." Mrs. Cope had a stack of papers for me and started explaining them as she handed them over to me.

"This is your temporary ASB card. It's your student ID. Your father paid for the activity pass for you. This allows you to get into all of the home games and dances for free. You have to have one to participate in sports, cheerleading or the sanctioned clubs. You'll get a permanent one once we get your picture taken and get it printed and embossed." She handed me a small card sized slip of paper with some numbers and my name and grade typed on it.

"This is your lunch card. Your father already made a deposit to your lunch account. At lunch, you can get any of the entrées offered, ala carte items, or the salad bar. They'll scan your lunch card, and deduct the money from your lunch account to pay for your food. They don't accept any cash in the cafeteria, so don't lose you card. There's a three dollar fee to replace it." The card was plastic like a credit card, and had a bar code printed across the back and my name and grade in printed tape on the front that looked like it had come out of a label maker.

The next card was small like a business card. It had pre-printed fields, but the information was hand written in. "This is your locker assignment, and your locker combination. I suggest you memorize it and then leave the card at home or destroy it. There's a twenty-five dollar fee if we need to open your locker for you and replace the lock or change the combination."

Next she handed me a half sheet three part form. The kind you could write on, on the top sheet, and it would act like carbon paper and carry through onto all three sheets. "This is your class schedule. I'll contact your teachers so they know to expect you. Have each of your teachers sign this form to sign you into class, and then bring it back here at the end of the day."

"Ok…"

"This last sheet is a map of the school," She handed me a full size sheet that showed a schematic of the main school building and added on wings. There were separate layouts for the first and second floors, and the room numbers were listed. I went ahead and highlighted the classrooms for your classes and marked which periods you need to be in each class. There's five minutes between classes for change so you can get to your classroom on time."

Mrs. Cope glanced up at the clock on the wall. "You still have plenty of time… Come around back here behind the counter, and we can take your picture for your ASB card." She indicated the opening at the end of the counter.

I nodded and walked around the end of the counter into the office. Mrs. Cope led me through the doorway in the glass wall. We walked down the hallway, and she opened another door and flipped on the light. There was a neutral colored backdrop pinned to the wall with a strip of tape on the floor in front of it. The center of the backdrop had the school logo and said 'Forks High School' across the top, and 'Home of the Spartans', across the bottom. A digital camera was sitting on top of a tripod, with a cable running from it to a computer.

"Stand in front of the sheet, and put your toes on the tape on the floor, dear," Mrs. Cope said.

I set my purse and messenger bag in the chair by the door and stood on the tape with my back to the wall. Mrs. Cope fiddled with the camera, and said, "Smile…"

I did my best to smile for the camera, but I had a feeling it looked more like a mug shot. The flash momentarily blinded me, and then we were done.

"Ok, that should do it. I should have your ASB card in a day or two. I'll make sure you get it when it comes in."

"Ok… Thanks," I said as I collected my purse and messenger bag.

Mrs. Cope led me back out to the front office, and then turned to me. "Ok, dear, do you have any questions?" She asked.

I hadn't done this for two years, and I was nervous. I'd only been a freshman for a couple of weeks when Phil was murdered and we'd had to run for our lives. I didn't really know how all this worked, but I couldn't tell her that. She assumed I'd been going to high school for a couple of years now, and should know what to do. I supposed I could fake until I figured things out. I knew I had different classes in different classrooms and had to change classes. That was probably the biggest change. That and going to school at all and having teachers expect me to be on time to class and have work to turn in.

"No…" I lied. "I've got this…"

"Ok, dear…" Mrs. Cope went and sat back down at her desk, and then looked back up at me again after a minute. Umm… Was there something else, Ms. Swan?"

"No…"

"Then go to school, dear. You still have time to go find your locker if you like, before advisory."

**Author's note:**

I also posted chapter 21 of The Darkest Part of the Night. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	7. First Day

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 7 First Day

"_Then go to school, dear. You still have time to go find your locker if you like, before advisory."_

"Sorry, first day jitters… Go to school, right…" I mumbled under my breath. I walked around the counter and walked to the door. I could see kids outside milling around and walking towards the school building.

I glanced back at Mrs. Cope, and she made a shooing motion with her hands, urging me to step through the door. "Go on, dear, they aren't going to bite."

I nodded as I pushed the door open and walked out into the school.

It felt like every eye on the campus turned to stare at me as I walked out into the courtyard between the main school building, the administration building and the gym. I could see heads turning in my direction and hear muffled whispered comments as people asked their neighbors and companions who I was. I was instantly the center of attention, and I hated it.

I kept my head down and walked towards the doors ahead of me to get back inside somewhere…

My locker… I was going to find my locker before class…

Suddenly there was somebody in front of me, and I stumbled into them…

"I'm sorry," I said in a bit of a panic as I backed up to avoid knocking them down.

"Hey, Bella, Fist day of school, huh?"

I recognized the voice, and I looked up, and up. I recognized the tall girl from the restaurant and bowling. Angela was her name… She liked Ben… She was Jessica's friend, but she was the nice one…

"Hi… Angela, right? I'm so sorry…"

"Hey, it's cool. So how are you doing so far?"

"I just came from the office… I got my schedule…"

"Let me see," Angela said. I handed her the paper.

"We have three classes together. We have AP English together, first period, Spanish, Fourth Period, and AP Biology, fifth period after lunch. You lucked out with sixth period gym. It's your last class before the end of the day." Angela handed me back my schedule.

"That's cool… Umm… do I know anyone else in those classes?"

"I'm pretty sure Jessica and Sara have that same third period trig class, and Jess is in Spanish with us.

"Ok, at least I'll know some people. I was going to try and find my locker before class…"

"Sure, c'mon I'll help you find it, and then we can go to English together. What's your locker number?"

I read the number off the card to her.

"That's close to mine. C'mon, I'll show you."

I felt a lot better walking into the school with Angela. It felt more normal, and I didn't notice as many people staring although I knew there were still a lot of curious looks.

"So, what are you doing for gym class?" I asked. I had never been good at sports. For too many years I'd been a danger to the people around me. I'd outgrown a lot of my clumsiness during my years on the run, but I still didn't feel comfortable even considering playing a team sport.

"It's basketball season, Bella. Of course the coaches are going to try and squeeze in some more court time."

"Basketball?" I groaned. "I seriously suck at basketball. I'll hurt somebody…"

"Don't worry, you've got a choice. Mrs. Cullen teaches an aerobics class sixth hour for the girls that don't want to do whatever sport the coaches have us doing in gym. Most of the cheerleaders take that class so they're warmed up for practice and don't have to change again. Just tell Coach Clapp you're taking the aerobics class instead, and you'll get credit for gym class."

"Ok, that sounds cool." Doing aerobics wasn't exactly my thing either, but it sounded a whole hell of a lot better than trying to play basketball for an hour.

Angela found my locker, and I used the combination off the card to open it. I didn't have any books yet, and I was really just interested in finding where it was for now. I dropped off some of the extra supplies from my bag, and closed it. I followed Angela to her locker down the hall from mine, and then she showed me where our first period class was.

We walked into the classroom and Angela walked to a seat in the middle of the room and sat down. The second I stepped through the door, I felt a probing sensation assault my shield. I instantly ramped up the strength, but stopped short of my force shield snapping into existence around me out of reflex. It would be too hard to explain if I knocked something over without even touching it or somebody bumped into it by mistake.

The probe didn't feel like an attack. It almost felt soothing and familiar. I was used to Renee reaching out to me to let me know she was there like this. I felt a wave of nostalgic emotion sweep through me as I realized Renee was gone and this had to be somebody else trying to breech my shield to touch my mind. They were going to be disappointed. I didn't drop my shield for anyone, not even my own mother.

I looked around, trying to figure out who it was, but I had a feeling they weren't even in the room. Renee hadn't needed to be in the room if she was looking through somebody else's eyes. The room was about half full of curious students who were obviously wondering who I was as they stared at me. The teacher seemed just as curious, and I wondered if Mrs. Cope had gotten a hold of her yet. I walked over to the teacher, and handed her my sign in sheet.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I'm starting today." I said.

"Ok… Welcome to first period AP English. I'm Mrs. Jensen. This is an advanced placement class, Ms. Swan. Let's see if you can keep up, and then we'll decide if this is the right class for you."

I nodded and Mrs. Jensen made a notation in her grade book and signed my paper for me.

She handed the paper back to me, and then went to a cupboard and handed me a text book and a novel. I'd already read the novel, so I counted that a plus.

Mrs. Jensen looked over the room, and then said, "We have a seating chart. You're expected to be in the correct seat everyday. Why don't you have a seat next to Ms. Brandon in the back row, and then I'll see where I can work you into the new chart for next semester."

I nodded again, and looked where she was pointing at the back. Alice Brandon was sitting next to the empty seat. She must have heard Mrs. Jensen tell me to go sit next to her. She held up a finger and crooked it in a beckoning gesture, and then pointed at the seat next to her.

I walked back to the desk beside hers and hung my purse over the back of the seat. I set the books on the desk and took out a notebook and a pen before setting my bag on the floor behind my desk. I sat down in the desk next to Alice.

"Hi, Bella. Welcome to Forks High School."

"Hi, Alice."

"You know, Heterochromia iridum is an indicator of mutation. If you don't want people to ask unwelcome questions, you should really consider colored contact lenses."

"What…" Oh shit, she'd noticed my eyes. She was the first person in Forks to comment about them.

"Heterochromia iridum, you know… two different colored eyes, brown and hazel, although, you really pull it off, it looks good on you. It's probably too late now, anyhow. Too many people have seen you to cover it up easily now, but we can try if you'd like."

"Oh… How would you cover it up?"

"Get you a prescription for contacts and start using them. Most people wouldn't even notice. I'm sure we could find a way to make the rest play along. Don't worry about it though. I don't think anybody else will bother you about it."

"Ok… I'll think about it... So, your foster mom is the coach for the wrestling cheerleading squad?" I asked to change the subject.

"Sure, did you want to go out for the squad? There's an open spot..."

"No... I'm just curious... I'm surprised you don't go out for the squad. Your boyfriend is a wrestler and you already go to all the games..."

"I don't want to be cooped up on the bus to get there or I would. I already have a job with the cheerleaders though."

"Oh..., so what do you do?"

"I'm assistant coordinator for the wrestling cheerleading squad," Alice said in a chipper voice, looking away from me as a blond haired boy sat in the next desk in front of me. I looked at him and recognized Mike Newton from bowling the other night.

"Hey, Bella," Mike said, turning in his desk to greet me. "So, first day of school. How's it going so far?"

"I'm fine…" I knew my conversation with Alice was over for now, at least for any topics besides school. I was curious how she knew about my eyes and what she was implying, but I didn't want to bring up the topic again here. Most people who said anything about them just commented on the different colors. They didn't already know what caused it and why it was significant. They didn't offer to help me hide them so people wouldn't ask questions.

I turned back to Alice, "Ok, so cheerleader coordinator, how could you possibly find that remotely fun or interesting?"

Alice shrugged. "It's fun if you give it a chance and don't believe the stereotypes. Basically it means I help Esme with the uniforms and snacks. I go to all of the meets anyhow. I just don't have to ride with the team and can take care of my own transportation. Rose and I usually go to the meets together so she can watch Emmett wrestle."

"Ok... I guess that makes sense. So, your step mom teaches an Aerobics class here? Do they hold classes in the gym?"

"Kind of... We have class in the weight room. Just follow the signs. It's upstairs. You have sixth period gym, right?"

"Umm… Yeah... I really don't want to have to play basketball."

"Yep, you should be good to go if you take the aerobics class instead. Both of the cheerleading squads do, but there's room for one more in the class. You can just wear your aerobics workout outfit instead of dressing for gym."

"Umm… I didn't bring any workout clothes… Doesn't the school provide gym uniforms…?"

"Well, Yeah… But you're not going to wear that… Are you? That's just … eww… no, we can't have that… I'll find you something to wear. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Mike must have decided our conversation was done enough to talk to me again. "So did you have fun bowling, Saturday night?" he asked to get my attention.

I turned back to look at him. He was smiling at me. "Yeah, it was fun. So, you and Jessica seemed to hit it off."

"Sure, Jess is fun. I'm sorry you got stuck with Jacob as your partner. Maybe we could go out again some time when it's less crowded."

"Sure... maybe we could get a group together... and meet up somewhere…"

"Actually I was thinking maybe just the two of us could go out. Do you have any plans this weekend? We could go to Port Angeles and see a movie…"

"Umm… Aren't you dating Jessica, Mike?"

"We've gone out a couple of times, but she isn't my girlfriend. So, Saturday?"

"Umm… Let me think about it…"

Mrs. Jensen closed the classroom door and called the class to order before Mike could say anymore. I was relieved. Mike was cute in a kind of puppy dog way, but he just didn't do it for me. Besides, I was kind of friends with Jessica, and I could tell she was totally into him. I didn't just want to shoot him down, but I was really hoping I'd have plans to do something else this weekend so I could tell Mike I was busy without having to lie to him. I sucked at lying, and I knew he'd see right through me.

It was easy to get back into the swing of things despite my two year hiatus from going to school. Mrs. Jensen took roll, and then we sat through advisory, listening to the school announcements. We were welcomed back from the holiday weekend and then there were reminders for the various group meetings, fund raisers, and team practices were announced. There really wasn't much to say as long as you remembered what you were supposed to do but they managed to fill their allotted time slot. Mrs. Jensen got her lecture started, and then we discussed the novel the class was reading. She seemed impressed that I was able to participate in the discussion constructively, and had a working knowledge of the material, despite it being my first day in class.

The class ended, and we got up to collect our things to leave. Alice took off before I had a chance to ask her anymore questions. Angela said she'd see me fourth period and walked off the opposite direction than I knew I needed to go from my map.

I walked out of the room, and suddenly Mike was walking beside me. "So, what's your next class, Bella?" Mike asked.

I glanced at the schedule in my hand. I already had it memorized, but I double checked anyhow. "American History with Abrams."

Mikes face darkened for a minute and I knew he didn't like that news, but then he smiled at me. "My next class is that way. I'll show you the way."

I nodded as Mike walked me to class. He was persistent if nothing else as he walked beside me in the hallway.

"So, how about Saturday night?" Mike asked again. "We could get some dinner and go to the movies."

"Let's play it by ear, ok? I had lunch with Alice and Rosalie the other day, and I don't know what plans the girls have for the weekend yet. I'll let you know, ok?" I didn't want to hurt his feelings and just say no. It was the first day of school and I didn't want to piss Jessica off until I knew the score, not that I wanted to go out with Mike, anyhow.

Mike frowned, like he didn't like that answer, but he smiled before he replied. "Alright, Bella, lets call it maybe. We could go out another night if you're busy Saturday."

I nodded as we walked up to my classroom. "Maybe... I'll see you around," and I walked into the classroom.

I went to the teacher's desk once I was safely inside the classroom. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan. This is my first day, today." I said, as I handed him my sign in slip.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan. Mrs. Cope called me and said I'd have a new student today. Welcome to second hour American History. I'm Mr. Abrams."

I nodded and Mr. Abrams made a notation in his grade book and signed my paper for me. He handed the paper back to me, and then reached for a text book on his desk and handed it to me.

Mr. Abrams didn't bother looking over the room like Mrs. Jensen had, but said, "Go ahead and find a seat. We're pretty easy going here. I don't have a problem with you sitting with friends as long as you pay attention and do the work. Otherwise I'll find you a place to sit."

I nodded again, and then went and picked an empty seat. I recognized one of the Cullen's from the bowling ally, and decided to go sit by him. Alice had seemed friendly enough even if Rosalie came off as a bit hostile at first. Maybe the rest of their family was friendly too.

"Hi, Alice Brandon was in my English class first period. We talked. You're her foster brother, aren't you?" I said to the tall blond haired boy I'd seen at the bowling alley the other night. I knew he was Alice's boyfriend too, but I'd play that by ear.

"So you're Alice's new friend," The boy sitting next to me said. He had a trace of a southern accent when he spoke. I'd noticed him bristle a bit when I'd mentioned Alice was in my English class, and I wondered what was up with that. He was wearing stonewashed gray boot cut jeans, expensive looking running shoes, a tight gray t-shirt that clung to his well defined abs and a purple Spartans letter jacket. The name embroidered on the left breast said Whitlock.

He didn't smile at me, and had a hard cold demeanor. He had a wary look in his eyes as he stared at me. He looked dangerous, and I could tell he didn't trust me for a second. He didn't seem unfriendly, just untrusting, like he knew exactly how dangerous I was and was afraid to turn his back on me for a second.

"Yes... I'm Bella Swan..."

"Jasper Whitlock," He said as he held out his hand to me. "Sorry for your loss. Terrible thing what happened to your mother. I'd hate for that to happen to anyone around here. It's not going to, is it?" He said, directing the question to me, like I had done something to cause it or was responsible for what happened to her.

I shook his hand and looked into his eyes, "Thank you for your concern. Automobile accidents are a terrible thing. That's not going to happen to anyone else if I have anything to say about it."

If I didn't know better, I'd swear he had heard a different story about what had happened to Renee, maybe something approaching the truth, but not necessarily the real story. He acted like he didn't buy the car crash story for a second and knew it was a lie.

Jasper nodded, and let go of my hand. He still looked wary, but seemed to relax a little. He practically projected an aura of danger, but that could have just been the fact that he was big and muscular and had the whole wrestler thing going on. I didn't let him scare me or intimidate me. I knew he couldn't lay a finger on me unless I let him, and I could fry his ass before he could touch me regardless.

I got the impression that Jasper didn't like the idea of me being friends with Alice, but it wasn't any of his business.

We were up to the American civil war period in class. Mr. Abrams lectured, and I could see Jasper sitting there fuming in his seat at some of the points of discussion. He seemed very passionate about the subject, and corrected Mr. Abrams more than once, citing sources besides our text book. I got the impression Jasper was something of a Civil War buff, and was very passionate about the subject.

For his part, Mr. Abrams didn't seem to mind as long as his research was accurate, and he cited credible sources. He was simply happy that one of his students was willing to do independent research about something we were studying in class.

Class ended and we packed up our things to leave. Jasper excused himself, and walked off to go to his next class. We walked out of the room and I checked my schedule, despite the fact that I already knew where I had to go. Trigonometry with Mrs. Post was next.

I found the classroom without any difficulty and turned to walk into the classroom. Sara and Jessica were both smiling at me as they walked through the door. I went to the teacher's desk to hand her my paper to sign.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I'm starting today." I said to the teacher sitting at her desk. She had long blond hair done in a French braid and looked young for a High School teacher, in her mid to late twenties.

"Yes... Mrs. Cope told me to be expecting you. I'm Mrs. Post. We move at a fairly fast pace in this class, Ms. Swan. We'll see how you do with this class for now. I have room in fifth hour Geometry if this is too much for you."

I shuddered and gave a small nod. Trig was bad enough. I'd heard horror stories about geometry. Mrs. Post made a notation in her grade book and signed my paper for me.

"Math has always been the subject I struggle with the most, but I'll stick with this for now, thank you." I knew I'd have to work to keep up, but I didn't want to have to rearrange my whole schedule on my first day of school.

She handed the paper back to me, and then picked up a thick text book and handed it to me.

"I'm available after school for extra help, or I sometimes come in early if you need something explained before school."

"I'll consider that…"

"I can also put you in touch with some peer tutors if you need extra help. Go ahead and find a seat and I'll mark it on the seating chart."

I nodded and looked out at the room. Jessica was waving me over, and it looked like she was saving me a seat. I walked over to sit with Sara and Jessica, and took the seat between them.

"So, you and Jacob?" Jessica practically squealed. "So are you guys like dating?"

"Jacob? We're just friends. I just met him Saturday, Jess, and he's younger than me. He's a sophomore this year. His dad is my dad's best friend. I drove him home, that's all."

"And you said he kissed you." Sara said.

"He kissed you?" Jessica asked, excited.

"He kissed me on the cheek! It was totally innocent…"

"But you wouldn't have said no if he just went for it right?" Sara asked.

How the hell could she know that? Could she read minds or something? Maybe it was ok if Jacob kissed me, but there was no way I was telling them that.

"No way…! I like Jacob… But no! We're just friends" I hoped I wasn't telling Jessica too much… Charlie had warned me about her.

"That's cool. So, do you think he'll ask you out?"

"Jess…! We're just friends! We might hang out, but I'm not going out with him..."

I'd talked enough about me, and I needed to change the subject. "So, what happened with Mike when you drove him home the other night," I asked.

"Umm… I drove him home."

"That's it?" Sara asked, sounding a little skeptical. "You're totally into him, and you finally got him alone again. Don't tell me you just drove him home and dropped him off. You totally bailed on Angela to get him alone so you could try and re-kindle that old flame. Now dish, girlfriend. We want details!"

"Umm… We stopped for a little bit, and I kissed him…"

"You mean you parked and totally made out with him. So, how far did you go this time?"

"We stopped where I felt comfortable…"

"You told him no again," Sara said. Then she turned to look at me. "Jess and Mike have a history, Bella. They used to date last year and were a couple all this summer. Mike figured since they'd been dating that long that they should take things to the next level."

"He can be such a guy sometimes," Jessica said with a frown. "I really like him but I don't know if I like him _that_ much…"

"He broke up with you because you wouldn't have sex with him, Jess. He's an asshole if all he wants out of your relationship is sex. If he cared about you, he'd wait until you were ready."

"I still like him, Sara. I want things to be like they were before..."

"Things aren't going to go back to how they were, Jess." Sara said. "You've done everything with him but go all the way. You can't take all that back. Mike's a guy, and guys like that just want one thing."

"I didn't think Mike would be like that. I thought he loved me."

"So you tell him no and find somebody else, or… Well you know what you have to do to keep him coming back. It's up to you to decide if he's worth it."

"What about Dean?" Jessica asked to try and change the subject. "You've been dating him just as long as I was dating Mike. You guys are still together… So, did you?"

"Dean respects me, and we're good together. We're comfortable in our relationship."

"That so doesn't answer the question, Sara. Did you give it up to him?"

"That's none of your business, Jessica, and if I wanted the whole school to know, I'd put it in the morning announcements. I don't kiss and tell, and he better not either if he knows what's good for him."

"So let me get this straight…" I said. "Mike dumped you because you wouldn't sleep with him, he's dating other girls now, and you still want him back?" Jeez, and I thought I had low self esteem issues. There was no way I was going to tell her Mike had asked me out, especially after I basically told him no.

"Who told you he's dating other girls?!" Jessica asked, defensively, as though I'd struck a nerve.

"Nobody… I just assumed… School started what, like two and a half months ago… When did you guys break up?"

"Last month after homecoming... We talked on Saturday…"

"It's been a month and you shot him down again." Sara said. "He's going to move on Jess. It's time to put up or shut up. Either go for it, or find somebody else. You know what Mike's terms are."

"Maybe he'll wait… Maybe if I talk to him again…"

"Jess…" I really didn't want to do this, but she needed to know where she stood with this situation. "I totally didn't know about any of this, this morning. Mike asked me to go on a date with him this morning in English. I told him no, because I'm not ready for any of that so soon after my mom passing away and all. I didn't know you guys used to date, but he isn't waiting, Jess. If I told him no, he's going to ask somebody else out… It sounds like it's over."

"He asked you out on a date? That dirty son of a bitch! I made out with him on Saturday, and Monday he's looking for somebody new to chase?!"

"Umm… Mike had certain expectations when he was making out with you, Jess," Sara said. You kind of shot him down and told him no. Sure, you had your shot and you blew it…" Jessica glared at her. "…or not."

"Eww… Too much information, Sara," I said as I grimaced.

"Oh, c'mon, not you too! God, you two are like a couple of nervous virgins. Guys are fun! At least when you find the right one. Don't tell me you've never even given a blow job."

I just stared at her wide eyed, "Nervous virgin, guilty as charged," I said, holding my hand up to my shoulder.

I'd watched my share of porn on the internet, and I'd seen it all, but I'd never done any of it. I'd never gone farther than some kissing, and maybe having a guy touch my chest over my clothes. Sara seemed like she was a lot more experienced than me, but then she'd been dating the same guy for over a year, maybe longer. You did things like that when you knew somebody and loved them and knew you could trust them.

"Don't worry; we'll help you get over that."

I hoped she meant the nervous part. I didn't need any help with the virgin part. I didn't have any allusions to try and save myself for marriage or something. I had no intentions of ever getting married, and I'd probably be dead before that was ever a serious consideration anyhow. I at least wanted it to be with the right guy. Hopefully somebody I was in love with, and I hoped it would be with somebody who loved me. I knew I'd eventually get more physical in my relationships as I got older and more experienced, but I at least wanted it to be part of a relationship when I decided it was time, not just with somebody I was just going to go on a couple of dates with.

Mrs. Post had started the class by now, and seemed to be getting upset with us whispering back and forth amongst ourselves, carrying on a conversation while she tried to teach her class. She called on Jessica to answer a question, and luckily she was able to answer it. We shut up and paid attention to class after that. I was really going to have to take some time to study the text book to get caught up. I could follow most of what we were studying, but I was beyond rusty when it came to math, and I was going to have to put in some real effort to do well in this class.

Jessica walked with me to Spanish class after we got out of trig. I had to go to my locker to drop off some of the books I'd collected this morning. I dropped off my text books, and then we went to Spanish.

"So, Mike really asked you out on a date?" Jessica asked as we walked down the hall together.

"He said we could go to Port Angeles for dinner, and then go to a movie."

"That's what we used to do on Saturday nights. I can't believe he's ready to just throw away the last year we shared together. I thought he cared about me."

"I'm sorry, Jess. There are a lot of fish in the sea…"

"No there aren't. You're in Forks now, Bella. This isn't Phoenix where there are like three thousand kids in school, and another three or four high schools just as big a couple of miles away. There's like a hundred and fifty kids in the junior and senior classes, and more than half of them are girls. There's like sixty-five guys my age to choose from. There isn't another high school for seventy-five miles. If I'm going to date someone, they're going to go to this school, and now every guy I could possibly go out with is going to know I told Mike no."

"Is that so bad? Isn't that better than letting him pressure you into sex if you aren't ready to say yes? Do you want a reputation for being the girl that says yes? I guess you'd get a lot of dates, but they'll all be expecting you to keep saying yes then."

"It wouldn't be so bad if me and Mike were still dating. Other guys wouldn't be asking me out like that if we were still a couple. They'd all know why we were back together, but we'd be like back together…"

"I get the feeling you're trying to talk yourself into it. You do what you want to do, Jess, but make sure it's your decision, not something you have to do to win him back. I guess the question is whether he's worth having back if he's going to force you to decide."

We walked into Spanish class, and Jessica went to go sit down by Angela. She waved to me, and I went to go talk to the teacher. I was expecting Spanish to probably be the second easiest class I was going to take this year, next to English. I could speak Spanish fluently. I'd grown up in mixed American and Mexican neighborhoods in Phoenix, and I'd been on the run across Arizona, New Mexico and southern Texas for the last two years, sometimes crossing the border and hiding out in border towns across the line in Mexico. Speaking Spanish was a necessary survival skill that you picked up when you grew up living like I did.

The catch was the Spanish I spoke was the colloquial common Mexican spoken in the Border States. It wasn't the more refined, grammatically correct Spanish taught in American high schools. On the plus side, I wouldn't have to do a lot of memorization and I knew all the swear words. On the down side, it would be about like American kids that spoke English taking English in school to learn all the nit picky details you didn't pick up just speaking the language.

"Hola, soy Bella Swan. Estoy a partir de hoy. " (_Hi, I'm Bella Swan. I'm starting today._) I said.

"Ok… Bienvenido al cuarto período de tres españoles. Yo soy la señorita Goff. Usted habla español, la Sra. Swan?" (_Ok… Welcome to fourth period Spanish three. I'm Miss Goff. You speak Spanish, Ms. Swan?_)

"Sí, un poco. Necesito trabajar en mi gramática." (_Yes, a little. I need work on my grammer._)

"Usted parece estar muy cómodo hablar el idioma. Vamos a ver cómo te va, y vamos a ir de allí." (_You seem to be very comfortable speaking the language. Let's see how you do, and we'll go from there._)

"Gracias, he tenido muchas oportunidades para practicar el último par de años." (_Thanks, I've had a lot of opportunity to practice the last couple of years._)

Senorita Goff nodded and made a notation in her grade book and signed my paper for me.

She handed the paper back to me, and then went to a cabinet under the window and handed me a text book and a reader with stories in it. Again, I'd already read most of the stories in the book, so I counted that a plus.

Senorita Goff looked over the room, and then said, "Seguir adelante y tener un asiento y vamos a empezar." (_Go ahead and have a seat and we'll get started._)

Angela waved me over and I sat with her and Jessica. Angela seemed impressed, and Jessica looked a little envious, like I'd been showing off. It just came easy to me, and it made sense to speak Spanish in Spanish class.

"Wow, you're really good," Angela whispered.

"Yo crecí en los barrios donde la mitad de la gente hablaba español todo el tiempo, y pasamos mucho tiempo en el sur de Texas y Nuevo México. Fuimos a través de la frontera mucho para ir de compras." (_I grew up in neighborhoods where half the people spoke Spanish all the time, and we spent a lot of time in South Texas and New Mexico. We went across the border a lot to go shopping._)

Jessica just looked baffled. "Huh? I didn't follow any of that. You're from the barrio?"

I shrugged. "I spent a lot of time around Spanish speaking people. You pick it up if you hear it all the time and it's all the people around you speak at home and in the stores and shops."

"I guess," Jessica said. "The only people that speak Spanish around here are the waiters and dish washers at Plaza Jalisco."

"That is so cool that you speak a second language," Angela said. "I almost took French, but my dad said Spanish would be more useful."

I nodded. "I suppose French would be more useful in some parts of Canada, but about a third of the people in the United States speak Spanish as their primary language."

Spanish class was fun. Senorita Goff called on me when she wanted to show the class an example of how a sentence or section of dialog was supposed to sound. For the most part, I only spoke Spanish in Spanish class. It was expected because it was a third year class, and by this time, we were expected to have a working knowledge and command of the language, but a lot of the other students were like Jessica. They could translate on paper and parrot back the scripted dialog in the text book, but they didn't think in Spanish and couldn't improvise on the spot or really speak the language. They completed the assignments to collect credit and turned in their work to earn a grade, but they weren't learning how to speak Spanish. The great majority of them never used it outside of class, and wouldn't be able to carry on a conversation with a native speaker.

We walked back to our lockers when the bell rang and we were excused for lunch. I dropped off my books, and then walked to the cafeteria with Angela and Jessica. We had to leave the main school building and cross the courtyard to get to the cafeteria. I followed them inside and we got in line to get our food.

Angela and Jessica skipped the entrees and desserts. They looked a little wistfully at the ala carte items, and went straight to the salad bar. Angela grabbed a bottled water, and Jessica got a diet lemonade. I noticed them glancing back at me as I loaded my tray. They seemed a little incredulous as I kept adding items. I got a piece of cheese pizza and a chocolate pudding for dessert. I grabbed a plastic wrapped sub sandwich from the ala carte racks, and then loaded a platter with salad from the salad bar. I sprinkled shredded cheese and chopped hardboiled egg on top and got a grilled chicken breast to slice up to add to it. The girls just sprinkled a little vinaigrette on their lettuce, while I added a large dollop of Thousand Island dressing to mine. I grabbed two chocolate milks, and then followed them to the cashier.

"Are you really going to eat all of that?" Jessica asked as she led the way to the table. How do you not weigh three hundred pounds?"

"I work out a lot, and my metabolism just seems to run a little more efficiently I guess. Too efficiently, most of the time. I have to eat like this, or I burn muscle mass to fuel my system. It's super hard for me to put on any weight and not be too thin. I'd be nothing but skin and bones if I didn't eat like this all the time."

"That is just so unfair!" Jessica complained as she stared at the food piled on my tray, and then glanced back at her plain lettuce salad.

I thought about it for a minute as we took our seats and sat down at the table. I would honestly trade lives with Jessica if my biggest worry in life was whether or not I was going to have sex with my asshole boyfriend to try and win him back. She had parents to go home to at night who loved her and cared for her. She could have my life with my dead murdered parents and the rogue covert black ops division of the government that was hunting me down to kill me.

Sure, I had Charlie now and he was great, but I'd trade a lot to have Phil and Renee back alive and whole and waiting for me to come home from school. I'd take ordinary normal teen angst and high school drama over fanatic kill squads that were willing to shoot up innocent bystanders and count them as collateral damage just to try and kill me.

All of the gang from Saturday night gathered at our table. Some more new people sat with us that I hadn't met yet. Angela sat at the next table with the girl's basketball team, and our table where I sat next to Jessica seemed to be mostly cheerleaders and some of the basketball players and wrestlers. Conner joined us and sat beside me, and Mike showed up and sat next to Jessica. He still looked at me expectantly, and glared at Conner for snagging the seat next to me before he could sit there. A tall dark haired boy in a wrestling letter jacket sat next to Sara, and I figured out he was her boyfriend, Dean. He'd been out of town for the holiday visiting relatives, and had gotten home late Sunday night.

Conversation at the table seemed to revolve around the upcoming sports seasons. The girls talked about rival cheerleading squads and what their uniforms looked like this year. They talked about who was on their squads and what routines and cheers they were doing. The guys talked sports and who they thought we could beat and who had good chances of going to state this year.

I gathered that while wrestling counted team points and posted team standings for rank, the sport was more of an individual competition than a true team sport. Individual wrestlers were ranked individually, and who went to the state championships didn't matter which team won. The individual wrestlers would participate in a series of tournaments to determine which wrestlers went to state. Your team could lose and come in last place in the team rankings, but an individual wrestler could still win in qualifier tournaments and still claim the state title in his weight class, regardless of whether the team won or lost.

I was following along with the conversation while I ate my lunch and looked around the room. The probing sensation I'd felt this morning in English hadn't stopped all day. It was like a continuous pressure as the mental probes explored my shield, looking for some nook or cranny or frayed edge to try and worm their way in to breach my defenses and assault my mind. The second I walked into the cafeteria, the sensation intensified, and I knew whoever was trying to get inside my head was in this room with me.

I spotted Alice Brandon sitting at another table away from the rest of the cheerleaders. I had assumed she'd be joining us, but she was sitting at another table with the other kids from the foster home she lived in. They seemed to sit apart from the rest of the jostling and boisterous crowd where they could talk privately. Nobody in the cafeteria seemed to mind or care. In fact, it was like at the bowling alley on Saturday night, and nobody seemed to notice them at all, besides me.

I looked at the Cullen's table even if nobody else paid them any attention. I found myself staring at Edward again, and then he turned to look at me and our eyes met across the room. A range of emotions flashed across his perfect face, curiosity and then frustration as I felt the mental probes searching my shield for any breach. Perhaps it was strictly a coincidence that the probing attempts seemed to coincide with the range of emotions that played across his face. I wasn't going to jump to any conclusions without evidence, but it was odd that the Cullen's appeared to be shielded from observation most of the time.

Jasper said something to Edward and he looked away to respond to his comment, breaking our eye contact. I took a deep breath and realized my heart was racing. My palms were sweating, and I could feel a curl of desire in the pit of my stomach. It amazed me that simply looking at the boy could affect me like this. I'd never even spoken to him, and I was afraid how I'd react if I had to sit down and have a conversation with him.

Alice was getting up, and she leaned in and kissed Jasper on the cheek and said something to him. He glared in my direction for a second and nodded his head. She collected her tray and then practically danced across to the trash can with a carriage that would break any ballerina's heart to dump her tray before setting it on the stack of empties.

I still had questions for Alice that I hadn't been able to ask in class. She acted like she knew more about me than she'd actually spoken out loud. A lot of these Cullen kids seemed to know more about me than they should. Rose knew who I was, so it stood to reason that the rest of them knew, too. Alice looked like she was heading out to the smoking area she and Sara had told me about behind the cafeteria. I quickly excused myself and got up to follow her outside.

"I'm going to go talk to Alice," I said as I got up and picked up my empty tray so I could dump my trash on the way out. I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder and grabbed my purse to go.

"Good luck with that," Sara said. "Nobody ever finds Alice unless she wants to talk to you."

I wondered what she meant by that, but just nodded and hurried toward the door I'd seen Alice go out. I dumped my trash and put the tray on the stack, and then pushed out the door. I looked down the building the direction I'd watched her turn, but I didn't see her. I hurried down to the corner, and then skidded to a stop.

The broad open vista of the area beside the building stood before me, leading back to the small grove of trees that separated the school from the adjacent property several hundred yards away. The sports field lay west across a wide paved tract. There weren't any doors in the side of the building. There was no way she could have made it to the far corner before I got here, and the bleachers at the track were even farther away. I couldn't have done it running flat out, but she was just gone.

It was impossible, but there was nowhere to hide. She couldn't have simply vanished into thin air. I'd watched her leave. I was looking right at her and saw which way she went, but she simply wasn't here. There was no place to hide. No doorway to step inside of, but she was just gone.

**Author's note:**

Just so you know, I don't speak Spanish fluently, and I took German in high school, but that was many years ago. I use a translator program on the internet for the translation, but I take full responsibility if something doesn't fit or doesn't sound correct to you. I know several Spanish speaking people and know enough words to order a beer.

I've made some updates to my profile if you haven't looked at it recently. I've added some discussion of my stories in process, plans for completing them, and synopsis of the unposted stories I'm working on as well. The poll is still up if you haven't voted.

I've also posted chapter 22 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	8. Answers and Questions

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted.

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**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

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Chapter 8 Answers and Questions

I was still standing there dumbfounded when Alice walked up behind me. It took a supreme effort of will not to pop my shield I was so startled by her sudden appearance.

It was absolutely impossible. I'd seen her turn and walk this way. There was no possible way she could have gotten around the building to come up behind me, but there she was, standing behind me like nothing had happened while she stood there holding a shopping bag in her hands.

"Alice?!" I exclaimed, spinning around to gape at her. "Where did you go...?"

"I went out to my car in the parking lot..."

"But... How... I was watching you!"

"Are you ok, Bella? I told you I'd find you something to wear for the aerobics class."

"But how...?"

"I called my mom and had her pick up a few things for you. Here, put these in your bag, and then we have to get back inside so we can go back to school."

I took the things she handed me and put them in my messenger bag. There was a pair of crop bottom yoga pants that looked like they'd fit snuggly, a sports bra and a fitted tank top. She handed me a pair of panties and ankle socks, and then took a pair of white athletic shoes out of a box and gave them to me.

Logic told me that she must have simply walked out to her car in the parking lot, but that was the other way. I'd watched her walk outside, but now I was beginning to doubt my own memory. It simply didn't match the facts that were staring me in the face. It was simply impossible, but I was standing here talking to her, and she'd come from the direction of the parking lot...

"I can't take all of this, Alice… It's too much…"

"No it's not, and you'll need all of it. You can pick up a few more outfits when you go shopping with Charlie tonight."

"How do you know I'm going shopping with Charlie tonight? How did you know I was even moving here? You all seem to know an awful lot about me…"

"Sometimes I just know things..."

"Know things? Know things how, with a crystal ball?"

Alice shrugged "Most of the time it's just a flash of insight or a flicker of something that's going to happen before it does. Most of the time it's a little like déjà vu only I see things before they happen, but sometime I get more details. That's rare and I can't control it, but what I see usually happens. I saw you coming."

"Umm... That's kind of amazing, Alice. Does this happen a lot?"

So maybe she was a latent watcher. Maybe she wasn't telling me everything and there was more to the story. It still didn't explain how she could be someplace she couldn't be, but it did explain a bit about how she could know so much about me.

She wasn't freaked out by me, and that was refreshing. I could feel that Alice trusted me, and I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Not many people trusted me when they knew what I could do, and I had a feeling Alice knew more about me than she was letting on but still wanted to be my friend.

"You believe me?" Alice asked a little apprehensively.

"Sure… Why wouldn't I believe you? If you say it's so, then I'm willing to accept that. I don't think you're lying to me. I've seen some pretty weird things in my life, and I know there's more going on in the world than most people want to believe. This isn't the strangest story I've heard, Alice."

"Ok... Thanks. C'mon, let's get back inside before the bell rings."

I nodded and Alice led me back inside the school. "I guessed at your size. Are those things going to fit?" Alice asked. "If you want to try them on, I can have Esme bring something different if you need it..."

Alice dragged me into the first girl's bathroom we came to. She pushed the door open and stepped into the bathroom with me in tow. The place looked deserted, and she ducked to look under the doors of the stalls to make sure we were alone. I had a feeling she was just killing time so I wouldn't ask her anymore questions. I just checked the tags and knew they'd be fine.

"It'll all fit. I can read a tag and I know my size," I said. "Besides, if I try these on now, I'll probably be late to class."

"Ok, well wash your hands and touch up your makeup. The bell should ring about…" BRRRING, the bell punctuated her statement. "…now."

"See, out of time…"

"Hurry up, Bella, hand washing, lip gloss? Chop, chop! See you in gym class, and have fun in Biology."

Alice walked out of the bathroom as I turned on the water. She sure was bossy for such a tiny little thing, but she was right. I washed my hands and touched up my lip balm and lip gloss. Everything else was just fine and holding up ok.

Angela and Jessica were walking by when I stepped out of the girl's bathroom, and I couldn't help but wonder if Alice had planned it like this. I wasn't really familiar enough with the school yet to know exactly where I was. It took me a minute to get my bearings.

"There you are!" Jessica exclaimed as I stepped into the hallway. "Where have you been? We looked everywhere!"

"Umm… I was talking to Alice. Angela, you have Biology next, don't you? I seem to be turned around… How do I get to the classroom from here?"

"That's why we were looking for you," Angela said. "We both have Biology next. We were going to walk to class with you. You're almost there… It's just down the hall."

I nodded. "Ok, let's go before we're late."

Angela nodded, and Jessica didn't seem to mind that I'd ignored her questions as we hurried down the hallway to the biology classroom. We walked through the door before the bell rang and Jessica and Angela walked to a lab table together and sat down, digging out their things for class. That answered one question I had, they were apparently already lab partners.

I hurried up to the front of the room, not really looking over the room in detail as I walked to where the teacher was going through his materials for class.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan." I said, as I handed him my sign in slip. "This is my first day, today."

"Good afternoon, Ms. Swan. Welcome to fifth hour AP Biology. I'm Mr. Banner. Mrs. Cope told me there was going to be a new student in class today."

I nodded and Mr. Banner made a notation in his grade book and signed my paper for me. He handed the paper back to me, and then reached for a text book on the lab table and handed it to me.

Mr. Banner didn't bother looking over the room, but said, "We're pretty crowded in here already. I only have one seat left in class. Go ahead and have a seat with Mr. Masen. This will actually work out well. We had an odd number of students before. You can be his lab partner now."

I looked up, startled, and finally took a good look at the classroom. Every seat in the room was filled except for one. Alice's foster brother was sitting alone at a lab table near the back of the room.

He was wearing a nice pair of jeans that looked like they were some kind of fancy designer brand, a light colored button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a tan V-neck sweater. It was a kind of casual preppy look with a pair of expensive looking leather loafers on his feet and his hair in a casual messy disarray. He had a bag sitting on the ground beside him with books and school supplies and a purple and gold letterman jacket like Jasper had been wearing in history class.

It was hard to take my eyes off of him as I walked to the table and his piercing green eyes bored right through me, like he was looking into my soul.

I nodded and then went and sat down at the lab table next to him and laid my text book on the table. I took out a notebook and pen, and then set my bag on the floor under the table next to my stool.

"Hi, I'm Edward Masen," He said, turning to me and holding out his hand when I was prepared for class and sitting on my stool. "I guess we're going to be lab partners."

His voice was kind of amazing, all warm and low and smooth like honey and just as perfect as the rest of him. That was the last thing I'd expected, and I couldn't believe he was actually speaking to me.

Edward was the kind of guy you stared at across the room and wished you were so lucky that he might notice you, but never ever had the courage to actually speak to. It was kind of surreal that he was actually speaking to me of all people, and I was going to sit next to him for the rest of the year.

I couldn't believe this was really happening... He was waiting for a response, and I was sitting and staring like an idiot... Or a deer caught in the headlights...

I swallowed and shook myself. "Bella Swan," I said, taking his hand and holding it for a minute as we shook. His handshake was warm and firm as I stared into his piercing green eyes and my heart fluttered and skipped a beat.

I couldn't believe I was being so shallow and reacting to his looks like this. I had to get a grip and just be myself. He was just a guy. The most beautiful guy I'd ever seen in my life, but just a guy... I chalked it up to teenage hormones, and my body reacting to him. My body was telling me I wanted a guy because I was seventeen it was time to make babies. Luckily my mind could overrule my hormones and I could decide what my body was going to do. Apparently right now it was going to talk to him, so I needed my head in the game too.

"I saw you at the bowling alley on Saturday night," Edward continued after he let go of my hand. "I was intrigued because I hadn't seen you in town before. So you're Chief Swan's daughter? How did you end up in Forks of all places?"

I had to assume he already knew who I was and most of the back story I'd been spreading around town. I'd spent Sunday afternoon with his sisters, and if he was interested he'd probably gotten the story from them. The simple fact that he was interested enough to want to get to know me amazed me. He probably wanted to make small talk, but needed to start someplace. I was ok with that. I was curious about him, and sharing information about myself gave me the opportunity to ask him about himself.

"My mom was killed in a car accident. I thought I was going to end up in foster care but the courts figured out Charlie was my biological father and contacted him. We were both completely taken by surprise, but he said I could come live with him, so here I am."

"I'm sorry for your loss. That was a lucky coincidence, discovering that you had a parent you were unaware of. Most kids who lose their parents aren't so lucky," Edward said.

"You live in a group home with the Cullens, right? Is it alright to ask how that happened?"

"It's ok. It's been a long time and I don't mind talking about it. My parents were diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer when I was little. The growth became unstable and turned malignant. They went to the hospital and never came home."

"I'm sorry... That must have been terrible."

"I was very young but I still remember it. My parents were already friends with Dr. Cullen when they became ill. He was treating them, trying to cure their condition, but he couldn't save them. I don't blame him, he did everything in his power to try and cure them, but there wasn't anything he could really do for them. He arranged to take me in, and I've been with the Cullens ever since."

"I guess going to close family friends is better than ending up with strangers if you don't have any family... My mom was an only child and my grandparents were already gone. I had nobody to go to if Charlie's name hadn't turned up on the birth certificate we found in my mom's papers. He could have asked for a paternity test and told me to go to hell, but he's been great about it. So the Cullens decided to take in more kids after you went to go live with them?"

"Carlisle and Esme are both very loving and generous people. Esme always wanted a big family, but she can't have children of her own. Taking in foster kids allows her to be a parent and a mom. The rest of my siblings were older when they came to live with us. Most of them were already teenagers when they joined our family."

"It's amazing that they're willing to open their home like that. She sounds like a wonderful person."

"She is. So how are you settling in with the Chief? I was a really a little surprised to hear you were the police chiefs daughter."

"Charlie's great. He gave me a car and got me a cell phone. I have my own computer and we went shopping the other day so he could buy me clothes for school. It's really kind of surreal, like I'm waiting to wake up when the dream ends. Times were kind of tough the last couple of years with just my mom and me..."

"It sounds like he's spoiling you a little bit."

"Maybe a little... I wasn't expecting anything like that when I came here. I would have been happy to sleep on the couch. I told him he's doing too much, but he said he has seventeen years of missed birthdays to catch up on."

"It's nice that you're getting along so well."

I shrugged. "He's my father and we've both had tough times to deal with the last couple of years. I guess we both want to give happy a try for a change."

"I can understand that. So you call him by his first name?"

"My dad died two years ago. I only met Charlie a couple of days ago, but I'm not going to be all formal and call him father or something. My biological parents were both really young when I happened, and he's only nineteen years older than me. It doesn't feel right to call him dad... Phil was my dad, and he's gone... Charlie's his name. He's ok with me using it."

Edward nodded. "I understand exactly what you mean. I call Carlisle and Esme by name. I was young when they took me in, but I knew them when my parents were still living. They became my family, but I've never really called them mom and dad, although that's the role they play in my life.

I had been so engrossed in talking to Edward; I hadn't really paid much attention to Mr. Banner starting the class. It came as a total surprise when he called my name. I looked back at the front of the classroom to see what he wanted, and then sheepishly answered 'here' when he repeated my name.

I realized he hadn't called Edward's name. I was pretty sure Masen came before Swan, but Mr. Banner hadn't asked Edward if he was here or not. I shrugged it off. Maybe there was some different system in place that I wasn't aware of. I kept facing the front of the room after that as Mr. Banner started his lecture.

Edward left me in peace for a while as I listened to the class and took notes. I couldn't help glancing at Edward, and I met his eyes more than once as he looked over at me. It wasn't long before he tried to engage me in conversation again.

"So what do you think of Washington?" Edward asked.

"It's cold and wet..." I commented quietly without really looking over at him.

"That's true. That has to be a big change for you from Phoenix. It never snows there, does it?"

I shuddered at the thought. "No, it doesn't," I whispered without looking at him.

That was something I certainly wasn't looking forward to. The cold might not affect me much, but I really didn't like it. I'd never seen snow for real, besides on TV, but then it didn't really snow that much here.

"You don't like the cold and wet, do you?" Edward asked.

I looked back at Edward. "Not really. Sunny, dry and hot are more my style. Shouldn't we be paying attention to class if we want to pass?" I asked quietly.

"Do you need to pay attention to pass? I read the textbook the first week of school, and I can answer all the questions from memory. All of my classes are like that. You'd be surprised how much of the information Mr. Banner doesn't understand or how often he's wrong."

I shrugged. That was really kind of an arrogant assessment of the teacher and school, but I had to admit he was probably right. It least that was how it was for me, but I was sure a lot of the other kids didn't have it nearly as easy as we apparently did.

"Not in every class," I answered. "Math gives me a lot of trouble and I need to work at that. The rest of my classes are almost as easy as breathing."

"Exactly my point," Edward said, nodding to agree with me.

"Why do you bother coming then?"

"People would notice if I tested out or didn't bother to show up at all and besides, then I wouldn't be eligible for sports."

"You go to high school so you can play sports? Somehow I was expecting more."

Edward shrugged "I go to high school because I'm seventeen, people expect somebody my age to be in school and I enjoy the scenery. Sports are just something I'm good at. I like using the weight room and I enjoy the physical competition."

"The scenery? I don't understand…"

Edward looked me up and down, obviously checking me out as his eyes roamed over my body. I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I blushed bright red, but I didn't look away. Neither did he.

"The view increased immeasurably today. You know, it's very adorable when you blush like that, Bella."

"Umm… Thank you…" I said a little uncomfortably, knowing Edward seemed to like what he saw. I certainly liked what I saw, and I'd been ogling him from the minute I laid eyes on him. I supposed turnabout was fair play.

"I suppose we can pay attention to class if it makes you more comfortable," Edward relented.

Edward was giving me an out to stop talking to him. I should have shut up and taken notes, but now I was curious.

"Ok, so you're not gay. Jessica says you're super picky and almost never date. If you like the scenery so much, why don't you enjoy it more, or do you just prefer to watch?"

Edward shrugged again. "I suppose picky is an accurate enough description. Jessica is just jealous because I never asked her out after she threw herself at me when we moved here. I've dated a few girls here, but nothing serious ever developed. I guess I was just waiting for the right girl to come along."

There was no way I was going to ask him if he'd found the right girl now. I asked a different question instead.

"So who have you dated then? Anyone I know?"

"I think so. I've gone out with Angela Webber before. I dated your friend Sara a couple of times before she started dating Dean. I went out with Haley once, but that's really about it."

"I've met all of them. They're all really nice girls. None of them was right for you?"

"They are all nice girls, but I felt bad leading them on. I always felt that I was somehow taking advantage of the situation, and I couldn't keep seeing any of them or let things get serious. It wasn't fair to any of them."

Was he so stuck on himself that he thought he was god's gift to women or something? It seemed more than a little arrogant that he felt he had to stop seeing them to stop himself from taking advantage of them. Did he honestly believe that he was so hot that they would have done anything they didn't want to do while they were dating him?

Of course the other side of the coin was that he was a nice guy too, and whether what he seemed to imply was true or not, he hadn't taken advantage of the situation like most guys would. If a girl was willing to go too far with a guy, most guys would simply thank their lucky stars and just go for it, consequences be damned.

Edward wasn't like that. I liked that about him, and it made me like him even more. There was a person behind all that hotness and the incredible good looks, and he was a nice guy. He wanted to be liked for who he was as a person, and he looked beyond simple good looks at who the person was. He had the good taste to not want to date Jessica because she was kind of shallow and just wanted him because he was hot.

Angela was the nicest person I'd met at school and she was kind of shy like me. Sara was smart, logical and level headed. She was discreet and she knew what she wanted and went for it. I hadn't spent much time talking to Haley, but she was really cute and seemed a little more grounded than Michaela.

"Ok... So what are you looking for in a girl that makes you so picky?"

"I like a girl who's intelligent and can carry on a logical and intelligent conversation. I'd want to date someone who's strong and doesn't let me walk all over her and dictate her life to her, but is willing to compromise. My dream girl is a little mysterious with a history that isn't totally obvious. I want somebody who's unpredictable, a girl who can think for herself and everything she does isn't obvious to me before she even knows what she's going to do, herself. Being beautiful with an adorable blush is always a plus."

Ok, he was seriously not describing me. So I considered myself to be fairly bright, and no guy was going to walk all over me or order me around. Maybe I was a bit mysterious, but I was new in town, and there was no way I could tell anyone here my real history. I was not unpredictable though. I was logical and had reasons for everything I did. Just maybe not the same reasons as anyone else, but once people knew me; they'd understand why I did what I did.

He could not be describing me... There was no way I'd ever consider myself to be beautiful, but I did blush an awful lot. Take right now for instance. I could feel the flush in my cheeks, and knew I had to be blushing bright red.

"You're not asking for much... None of them measured up?"

"They were all intelligent and beautiful. They were all nice girls. It was me that was the problem. I couldn't allow myself to take advantage of the circumstances and stopped seeing each of them."

"Somehow I doubt you're going to find the perfect girl and your soul mate here in Forks. Maybe you'll have more luck when you go off to college."

"You know, I would have agreed with you until three days ago. So, did you have a boyfriend before you moved here?"

"No. I've never really dated much either. I have to admit, you're probably way more experienced than I am."

"I doubt it. The most I've ever done is hold hands with a girl and maybe kissed a girl goodnight when I dropped her off at her door."

"Yep, way more experienced than me. I've kissed a boy before, but I've never been on a real date, so no goodnight kisses."

"Well, we'll certainly have to rectify that situation." Edward said.

I totally expected Edward to ask me out once we were that far into the conversation, but he didn't. Perhaps he knew I'd say no if he did ask me out right now. It was the first day of school for me, and I was still settling in. I wasn't looking for a date or a boyfriend or a relationship. I certainly wasn't going to start making dates with boys on my first day in school, even if it was Edward Masen asking me out.

I'd only learned my mom was dead three days ago, and I wasn't going to be fit company for a while. I could put on a brave face and go to school, shop, and spend time with Charlie, but I was still kind of dying inside. Maybe the reality hadn't hit me yet, and I was living in denial, or maybe I was just an unemotional bitch who couldn't even mourn her own mother. We didn't even have her body and the death hadn't even been reported. It was like she had simply ceased to exist.

I couldn't lay all that on Edward. I needed time before I was going to be ready to let somebody in. I knew I couldn't just shut down and give up living because of what had happened to Renee. She had done what she'd done for me, and letting her make her sacrifice in vain would be the wrong thing to do. She'd done it so I could get away, and she'd expect me to go on living.

We'd always dreamed of living a normal life again like when we were in Phoenix. She'd expect me to take this chance to disappear and fit in again. She'd expect me to find a boyfriend to date and try to be a normal girl again. We'd talked about that a lot, and I knew she'd want me to date, but losing her was just too new and raw, and I was going to have to take some time.

Edward and I chatted for the rest of class. I couldn't believe Mr. Banner didn't say anything to us about just sitting there talking through the class. After a while I realized that none of the other kids in the class seemed to notice us talking either. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen, but nobody in the classroom paid us a bit of attention, and the class flew by. I didn't comment on the fact that nobody paid attention to us. I simply accepted it so I could get to know Edward better.

I was completely startled by the bell ringing to announce the end of the period. I didn't even know if Mr. Banner had assigned homework, I been so engrossed in talking to Edward.

Edward slid a single sheet of paper across the desk to me while I was looking around at the other kids preparing to leave.

"What's this?" I asked, looking down at the sheet of paper.

"The homework assignment. I'm sorry I monopolized your time, but I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. If you require assistance with the assignment, please feel free to call me with any questions."

"Ok... Thanks." I took the sheet and looked at it. The reading assignment was listed and which review questions we were supposed to answer. Edward had conveniently included his cell phone number on the sheet. I re-folded the paper and slipped it into my purse.

"May I have permission to call you, Bella?" Edward asked as we put our things away to prepare to leave.

We were among the last few stragglers as we stood up to leave and walked to the door.

"Sure... I don't mind. I enjoyed talking to you in class, but I really should probably pay more attention to the lecture. Do you want my phone number?" I asked.

"I already have it. You gave it to Rose and Alice. I simply wanted to make sure you were aware of that fact and were ok with me using it to call you."

"Thank you for asking. That's fine. What's your next class, Edward?"

"I have Spanish with Emmett next. Where do you have to go?"

"I have Gym sixth hour, but I think I'm going to take the aerobics class with Alice."

"Ok. Esme teaches that class. She's an excellent instructor, and she enjoys working with the girls," Edward said, walking along beside me.

"Aren't you going to be late to class? I don't want you to be late on my account, Edward. I know where the gym is."

The Spanish classroom was the opposite direction, and there was no way he'd make it all the way to the gym and get back to his class before the bell rang. He was going to be late if he walked with me, and it didn't look like he even had his book with him. He was certainly going to be late to class if he still had to go to his locker.

"Señorita Goff won't mind, and I enjoy your company. You'll allow me to walk you to your class, won't you?"

I was a little flattered that he was willing to be late to class to spend time with me. I just nodded and let him walk beside me. My heart fluttered when Edward reached for my hand and held it while I walked beside him. I didn't pull away and let him hold my hand. His was warm and strong and I liked it.

I was sure my hand had to feel a little gross to him. My palms were sweating, and it was probably cold and clammy but he didn't pull away or act grossed out.

It was a short walk to the gym across the courtyard and we got lucky, it wasn't raining out. We got some looks from other kids heading to the gym, but we both ignored them.

"Is it alright if I call you tonight, Bella?" Edward asked as we stopped at the door.

"Sure... I'd like that."

"Ok. Well, I guess I better get to class... I look forward to continuing our conversation this evening."

"Ok...Bye, Edward..." He finally let go of my hand as he stared into my eyes. For a second I thought he was going to lean in and kiss my cheek like Jacob had, but he backed off and gave me my space. He nodded to me, and then turned and strode away back towards the main school building.

I realized my heart was beating a mile a minute and I wouldn't have minded at all if he had tried to steal a kiss.

I sighed and pulled the door open and ducked into the gym as he strode away. I followed the other girls walking into the gym, and I found the girls locker room. Alice was waiting by the door.

"Good, you're just in time, Bella. Coach Clapp is still in his office. Have him sign your paper and then tell him you're taking the Aerobics class. He'll excuse you from gym and send you to go get dressed. Make sure you get a padlock for your gym locker. The school provides them, but he won't give you one unless you ask."

"Ok, where's the office?"

Alice pointed out a door between the girls and boys locker rooms. I walked over and knocked, and then pushed the door open when I saw him look up through the window in the door.

"Can I help you, Miss? I don't recognize you. You must be the new girl, Swan, Right? Give me your paper to sign and you can sit out today. I don't have time to find you gym clothes before class starts. I'm Coach Clapp. See me after class, and I'll get you setup." He said dismissively as he went over some paperwork on his desk while the kids got dressed before the class started.

I handed him my paper. "I'm going to take the Aerobics class instead of regular gym. Alice Brandon said to tell you, and you'd sign me out for gym class. I have my Aerobics workout clothes with me."

"Fine, ok, you can go get changed then. I'll mark you down for the Aerobics class. You can just come and get dressed for it each day instead of reporting to the gym. They keep their own attendance, but you still get credit for gym." He said and then handed me back my paper.

"Can I get a padlock for my gym locker, please?"

"Fine," Coach Clapp opened a drawer in his desk and took out a combination padlock. He noted the combination in his book next to my name. "You'll be expected to turn it in at the end of the year. There's a fifteen dollar fee if you don't return it. We don't have enough gym lockers for all the students, so clear your stuff out after you change back into your street clothes. Go ahead and take a towel from the rack. Make sure it goes into the laundry hamper after you shower."

I nodded. "Ok, Thank you," I said as I took the lock from him and checked it. The combination was printed on the cardboard the lock was fastened too.

"Ok, go get dressed. Class is starting in four minutes. You're going to be late."

I nodded and hurried out of the office and walked into the girl's locker room. About half the girls were already dressed and heading out the doors into the gym. Alice was already dressed when I spotted her, but she was waiting for me by a row of lockers.

"C'mon, I saved you a locker next to mine," Alice said.

"Thanks," I said as I walked over and set my bag on the bench. I hung my purse on a hook inside the locker.

"Hurry up and change, and then I'll show you where we work out." Alice told me as I toed off my sneakers and unfastened my jeans.

The yoga pants fit snuggly, almost like leggings and the crop length rode at about mid-calf. I saved the clean panties and socks to change into after practice, but I hung my bra up in the locker and put on the sports bar and tank top Alice had given me. I was already wearing a pair of ankle socks with my sneakers, so they worked when I put on the white athletic shoes.

Alice handed me a stretchy sweatband as I closed my locker, and I pulled it over my head and pulled my hair out. I pushed it up on my head to keep my hair out of my eyes as I followed Alice toward the door.

"Go ahead and grab a towel now," Alice said as she took one from the stack by the door and slung it over her shoulder. "You can grab a clean one to dry off with when you shower after class." I nodded as I took a towel from the stack and followed her into the gym.

I could see where the other girls dressed like us were going. Alice led us along the wall of the gym to the door they went through. We walked through the door into a stairwell leading up. There was another door at the top of the flights of stairs that wound up to the second level. Alice pushed the door at the top of the stairs open and we walked into a large exercise studio.

The room was huge, much larger than I expected, and must have stretched all the way across one side of the gym. The floor was polished hardwood strips like the main floor basketball courts. The high ceiling was an open framework of trusses and gussets with open duct work set into the frames with florescent light strips suspended beneath them that brightly lit the room as bright as daylight. I noticed what looked like and overhead crane on a track that extended over an open balcony. The balcony overlooked the lower gym floor, and I could hear the sounds of the other gym classes playing basketball down on the lower floor.

There were a couple of folding chairs and tables set up next to the balcony. A tripod was setup, but there was no camera. I figured this was probably where they setup to film the basketball games during the season.

There were several big rolled up exercise mats at the far end of the room. The part of the room closest to the door was divided in half. Exercise equipment, free weights and benches and weight training machines were setup in a work out area. There was a large open area bigger than a regular classroom next to the workout equipment where the girls were getting ready to exercise. They were down on the floor doing stretches to loosen up, some of them working in pairs to help each other stretch. There were mirrors along the back wall like a dance studio with a ballet bar along the wall and a folding table with a portable CD player set on it.

Jessica. Sara and Lauren were all in this class too, along with the rest of the cheerleaders. They waved when we walked in, but I didn't have an opportunity to go up to them and greet them now. A woman came walking towards us, and I realized she must be Esme Cullen. She was utterly stunning with long caramel-colored hair. She looked like she was about five foot six, and had a heart-shaped face with delicate eyebrows and dimples. Her figure was slender but slightly rounded in a motherly sort of way. She gave me the sense of being in the presence of one of the ingénues of the silent movie era, but she radiated youthfulness and beauty.

She reminded me of Jane Fonda in workout videos Renée used to work out to when I was a kid. She looked about twenty-nine or thirty and was wearing her workout clothes. She was dressed in a striped leotard with solid color leggings and had leg warmers around her ankles and lower calves. She was wearing ballet slippers and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail with a stretchy sweatband around her forehead.

She looked like she was in top physical shape, and I could practically see the individual muscles move under her skin as she walked up to us. She looked really good for a woman her age, and was probably in better shape than most of the high school girls in the class.

"Hello girls," Esme said to us. "Alice, dear, why don't you get the girls stretching, and start the class while I talk to Bella."

I was surprised that she knew who I was, but then I was wearing the workout clothes she'd dropped off at the school for me. I was sure Alice had told her who I was, and I'd walked in with Alice.

Sure, Esme," Alice said, and waved as she danced over to the other girls and stood in front of the folding table, calling them to order to start group stretches.

"Come over here where we can sit down and talk for a minute, Bella," Esme said, indicating the tables and chairs setup by the balcony overlooking the lower floor. It was far enough away that the girls in class wouldn't hear us talk once Alice started the music playing, and the basketball sounds were loud enough to drown out anything we might say in the meantime.

"I'm Esme Cullen. I teach the Aerobics Class here at the high school, and I'm the coach and coordinator for the wrestling cheerleading squad. I'll be teaching your aerobics class."

"Ok..."

"Have you ever taken an aerobics class, Bella?" Esme asked.

"No, but I work out on my own. Maybe different exercises, but I think I'm in pretty good shape."

"Ok. I have no doubt that you'll be able to handle the class. Don't worry, we'll show you how to do everything and we'll have you up to speed in no time."

I nodded, and Esme went on. We talked about the aerobics class. Esme wanted to gage my level of experience and ability. That was easy. I had zero experience and didn't have the first clue about my degree of ability.

She had me get up, and she showed me how to properly stretch to loosen up my muscles before I exercised. We went through the stretching routine, and then she explained how to adjust the movements to my level of ability so I didn't overdo it and hurt myself.

Esme led me back over to the class and went up to the front of the class to take over. She sent Alice back to work with me, and we did aerobic exercise for the rest of the class. The rest of the class were done ramping up from their warm up and had moved into the harder routines when Esme took over. She had Alice keep me doing easy positions and moves a little longer to let me catch up, and then Alice moved us into sync with the rest of the class for some high impact dance aerobics with some aerobic kickboxing moves mixed in when I was ready. We kept that up for a while, and I could feel my heart pound as I worked up a sweat and felt a little out of breath. We started working back through the gears, winding down with progressively easier moves, until we ended with a couple of minutes of quiet meditation.

I was glad Alice had told me to take a towel. It was a real workout and I was sweating. I needed the towel to wipe my face and keep the sweat from dripping off me onto the floor. My workout clothes were soaked with sweat and the tank top was sticking to my skin. I really needed a shower before I got dressed to leave.

I felt a little tired out after that workout, but energized. I knew I'd been releasing endorphins and my serotonin levels were elevated. I could feel that natural high you get from a good workout and it relaxed me, easing my stress level and anxiety. I felt a lot better after exercising and more at peace and able to deal with life.

The bell rang, and the girls that were done for the day started collecting their things to go to the locker room to change and go home. The girls who were staying for the wrestling cheerleading practice gathered together by the table, chatting before their practice got started. Jessica and Lauren left with the basketball cheerleaders to go down to the gym for their cheerleading practice.

I waved goodbye to Sara and followed Alice out of the exercise studio to go back down to the locker room. We walked down the stairway to go down to the girl's locker room to change. I got a fresh towel for my shower when we walked in and threw the dirty one in the laundry hamper. I still had to go turn my paper in to Mrs. Cope before I left for the day, but I needed to shower and change back into my clothes first.

"Do you have plans for the afternoon, Bella?" Alice asked as I stood in front of my locker getting ready to hit the showers.

"I need to run up to the office before I leave. Mrs. Cope told me to bring her my sign in slip after school. Otherwise, no, I figured I'd just go home and get started on my homework."

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. We could go out for coffee maybe, and then we could talk some more," Alice said.

"Umm… Sure, that sounds good. I have to call Charlie and let him know. I'm supposed to meet him at five for dinner, and then we're going grocery shopping."

I knew Edward had wrestling practice after school. Hopefully she'd pass my schedule on to him so he'd know when I was available to call. I was looking forward to talking to him tonight.

"Sure, that's fine. Go ahead and change and turn in your slip, and I'll meet you in back here in the gym. I have to talk to Esme for a minute, and then we can go. I'll drive if that's ok."

I nodded, and then went and took my shower. I'd always been kind of shy and modest, but it was just us girls in here, and I had nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, I really needed a shower after that workout, and it would have been gross to just put my clothes back on like some of the girls were doing. I assumed they were going to shower when they got home, but I wasn't heading straight home. I got dried off and changed back into my street clothes after a quick shower.

I took a couple of minutes to fix my makeup, but I didn't really have time to do the full job all over again. I just touched up and re-applied my lip balm and lip gloss.

I grabbed my things out of my gym locker, just rolling up the wet gym clothes so I could throw them in the wash tonight. I was going to need a few more outfits unless I was going to wash these every night for school the next day.

Most of the kids had cleared out for the day by the time I was finished showering and dressed in my street clothes again. Everyone that was left was either heading to a practice, an after school group or making their way to the parking lot to leave. The buses were still here, waiting for the couple of kids who had sixth hour gym to hurry up so they could leave. I hurried out of the gym and made my way around to the office next.

I pushed the door open and walked inside. Mrs. Cope was sitting at her desk and there were a couple of other ladies in the office now.

I stepped up to the counter, and said, "Excuse me, Mrs. Cope. I have my sign in sheet," and held up the piece of paper.

Mrs. Cope looked up at me and smiled and got up from her desk. She stepped to the counter and took the paper from me.

"Ok, this looks good." She said, looking the paper over. "Thank you, Bella. How was your first day at school?"

"It's been interesting. A lot has happened today, but I think I'll fit in. I have to get back. Alice is waiting for me."

"Ok, run along dear, you have fun."

"Thank you," I walked back out the door and left.

I took the shorter route back to the gym, past the parking lot and went in through the front doors of the gym. I pushed the doors open and walked in. The main entrance opened onto a large entryway or lobby. There were display cases lining the walls with decade's worth of sports trophies and listings of the school's sports achievements. There were stacked chairs, large round folding tables along the wall, and a large concession stand, but it was closed and a metal rolling door was pulled down to block it off. Two set of double doors led to the main floor of the gym. A hallway led off to the left and signs indicated the weight room and locker rooms and offices. To the right there were restrooms and some more classrooms for band and chorus.

I hurried to the hallway on the left to get back to the exercise room upstairs to meet Alice. I followed the signs to the weight room, and then pushed open the door to the stairway leading upstairs and walked into the stairwell.

The boys were rolling out the exercise mats on the floor when I walked back in. They used wide rolls of clear tape to fasten them down to the floor, and then the coach got them running to warm up. He must have come in while I was at the office. He was a tall man, powerfully built with broad shoulder and a narrow waist. He looked like he was in his late thirties, and had short cropped red hair and a bushy red mustache. Another man came in while the boys were running. He was younger looking, but in his mid to late twenties. He was stocky and broad shouldered and looked powerfully strong. He had short black hair and dark eyes.

Alice finished with Esme and the cheerleaders and came over to meet me. "Sorry I took so long, are you ready to go?" Alice asked. She started for the stairs and we walked out to the parking lot.

"Sure, are any of the coffee shops in town any good?"

"They're alright, but they definitely have that small town vibe going on. I suppose we can try one of them this afternoon." Alice said like she found the thought distasteful. What else did she think we were going to do? This was Forks after all, and it was over an hour drive to anyplace else.

"Ok... As long as I'm back by five to meet Charlie, I guess that's ok..."

"Don't worry, Bella, I won't get you into any trouble..."

I nodded and we walked up to Alice's Porsche. She used the remote to unlock the doors and I got into the passenger seat. I fastened my seat belt, and Alice turned the volume on the stereo down low enough so we could talk when she started the car. Some kind of Euro Trance dance music was blasting out of the speakers when the motor started, but she cranked it down from ears bleeding loud to conversational loud. Alice pulled out of the parking lot and started to head downtown.

"So, I was talking to Edward in Biology before gym class..."

"Did he ask you out yet?" Alice asked.

"What?! No!"

"But you like him. You were totally staring at him on Saturday night and at lunch today. You know, he likes you too."

"Umm... Ok... I like him, but I need some time, Alice. I'm glad he didn't ask me out right now because I would have said no. I'm cool with talking to him and getting to know him. Maybe I'll be ready to give dating a try once I'm more settled in and have some time to deal with losing my mom...

"Maybe getting on with your life will help you deal with your loss. It's alright to be happy Bella. Your mom wouldn't want you to stop living just because she's gone."

"I know that... It's just too soon..."

"Ok, but I'm not going to allow you to wallow in self-pity. You're going to have fun and meet people."

"I'm meeting people. I met you, and I like Edward. He said he's going to call me tonight. I'm looking forward to talking to him."

Alice pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop. It was an espresso bar a couple of blocks from the school on Forks Avenue. Alice parked and we got out of the car. We went inside and ordered before we continued our conversation.

Alice pushed open the door and we walked inside. It was early in the afternoon, and the store was remarkably uncrowded. We stood back looking over the menu for a minute while the barista helped the customers ahead of us.

The customer ahead of us finished, collected their coffee and left the store. Alice and I stepped up to the counter and ordered. I was prepared to pay for my own drink, I still had cash left from Saturday night, but Alice handed the barista a credit card and told her they were together before I could even take out my wallet. We got our drinks, and Alice led me back to quiet corner where we could talk privately as long as we were quiet.

"Ok... You were going to ask me a question." Alice said once we were settled in the booth with our coffees.

"I guess I lucked out because the court found out Charlie was my biological father and sent me to live with him. Edward said he was the youngest when he went to live with the Cullens and the rest of you were all teenagers already..."

"You want to know how I ended up living with Carlisle and Esme?"

"I guess I'm curious. You can tell me to butt out if I'm being too nosy. I came real close to a situation like that, but I'm not sure how I would have dealt with it. If it wasn't for Charlie, I probably would have just left, walked away and tried to make it on my own. I doubt I'd even be in school right now if I didn't have Charlie looking out for me."

"Yeah, I totally get that. I ran away when I was twelve..."

"You ran away from home?"

"No, I wasn't living with my parents. I'm pretty sure they're dead now, but I haven't seen them since I was ten. I have a sister who lives in Mississippi, but she lives with my aunt. They all think I'm dead, and it's better that way."

"Umm... Who did you run away from then?"

"I had some issues when I was little... My parents couldn't deal with it, so they took me to doctors to find out why I wasn't 'normal' like Cynthia. I was committed to a mental hospital for a while because I wouldn't cooperate with the doctors. They couldn't find anything wrong with me physically, so they assumed I had mental problems."

That's horrible! Umm... did they help you...?"

"If you call keeping me whacked out of my skull on Thorazine twenty-four seven helping me. I finally managed to escape for long enough to get clean and flush their drugs out of my system. Once I was away from that place I never looked back."

"So you were all alone and out on the streets when you were twelve years old? How did you survive?"

"Any way I could. I shop lifted and stole enough to survive. I lived out of dumpsters and stole clothes to wear when I couldn't scrounge enough cash to buy hand me downs at the goodwill. I got real good at stealing and pretty soon I was doing better than just surviving. A lot better."

"So what happened? That couldn't last and go on forever. Besides, you're here now."

Alice sighed. "You know what they say, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. People found out about me. The wrong sort of people. They didn't appreciate how I'd gotten where I was and felt they had to stop people like me on principal."

Her story sounded real familiar. She didn't admit to having a power, but it sure sounded like it. The same sort of thing had happened to me, only I was a few years older and I still had Renee looking out for me.

"What did they do?" I asked.

"What self-righteous hate groups always do. They tried to kill me so I ran. I ran like hell, but they were real good at chasing me. I wasn't the first person they'd hunted down, they knew what they were doing and caught up with me.

"I knew I was dead. They had me dead to rights, and were ready to finish me off."

"How did you get away?"

"I didn't."

"But... You're not dead Alice."

"I didn't get away. Jasper found us before they could kill me, or at least finish me off and make sure I wouldn't survive. I would have died from my wounds by then without medical aid or a trauma center. He rescued me and got me away from them before they could finish killing me, and then he helped me. It was really touch and go for a long time."

"Umm… How did he get you away and rescue you Alice? Did he call the cops…?"

"No. We don't go to the cops when we have a problem like that, Bella. He took care of them. They aren't hunting anymore little girls like me or trying to kill people like us anymore."

Perhaps I should have acted more shocked, but I'd been there too. My hands weren't clean when it came to the topic of kill or be killed. Most of the people they'd sent to kill me were dead. The only ones I hadn't killed were the ones that Renee killed. A few had escaped, but it wasn't for lack of trying on our part. Sometimes it was better to just run instead of chasing them down to finish the job. Particularly when your powers were shut down and you were down to having to fight it out with bullets like normal people.

I wasn't going to judge Alice or Jasper for surviving. The only reason I was alive was because a lot of agents were dead.

"So that's how you met Jasper...?

"Yeah, he's my guardian angel. He saved my life.

"How long..."

"We've been together for four years, through thick and thin."

"So you were like what, thirteen when you guys met? He nursed you back to health?"

"Yeah... Jasper did what he could for me, but I needed a doctor. We were on the road together for a while. Weeks went by but I wasn't getting better. Jasper asked around through some contacts of his, and they sent us to Philadelphia to Carlisle. He and Esme took us in and doctored me up, and we've been with them ever since."

"You and Jasper seem pretty close... He didn't like it that the two of us seemed to be getting friendly. So he's your boyfriend..."

"Jasper is everything, Bella. He's my life. I wouldn't be here without him. I love him and he loves me unconditionally. He's just very protective of me. He'll come around."

"So when you say he's your everything, you're a couple? Like a couple couple, not just dating, but the real deal? Umm... you're intimate?"

"Yes, Bella, we're a real couple. I love Jasper, and I always will."

"And Carlisle and Esme don't mind? You're still just seventeen, right?"

"Yes, Bella, I'm really seventeen, Jasper and I are a couple, and Carlisle and Esme don't mind. If they did, we'd leave, but they've welcomed us into their home as a couple, and they know we're intimate. They knew we were a package deal when we came to them. We don't have to sneak around and hide the fact that we're a couple."

"So you guys have been together for almost four years... Umm... so when did you... Never mind, I'm being nosy, and it's none of my business. I'm happy for you. I'm glad you're happy and have somebody who loves you."

"It's alright, Bella. You can ask me. I'll tell you."

"Ok... So you guys weren't... you know, together together when you went to live with the Cullen's, were you?"

Alice chuckled. "God no! I was like fourteen, and trying to heal from electrical burns and half a dozen cuts and stab wounds, being romantic like that was the last thing on my mind."

"So when..."

"I was fifteen. It was very romantic and a special night. Jasper was very gentle and considerate. I know how lucky I am from all the horrible first time stories I've read about and heard. We were prepared. We'd done everything but go all the way, and it was the right time for that part of our relationship to start. We have a special relationship. He's my first, my last and my only."

"I know you say it's special, but how do you know he isn't going to change his mind or that you'll grow apart over time? Nothing lasts forever, Alice."

"I'll admit, relationships take work, we have our ups and downs like any couple, but you have to communicate and talk to each other. We talk and he lets me know what he's feeling. I'm not afraid to let him know what he means to me and what I need out of our relationship. He knows in his bones just how much I love him, and I know for a fact that he feels the same way about me. I don't have to wait to hear him say it, I just know it."

"I'll have to take your word for it. I've never been in love like that, and I can't imagine what it's even like to be so committed and so in love with somebody. There are guys I'm attracted to, but I'll be the first to admit that it's purely a physical reaction at this point. I can tell you what teenage hormones run wild is like, but I honestly couldn't tell you what being in love is even like beyond love I've felt for a parent, and even I know that's completely different."

"Don't worry, Bella, you'll get there, and then you'll know just how wonderful it is."

I shrugged. "Maybe it'll happen someday, but I don't know that I'll even live long enough to ever fall in love with anybody, Alice."

"You like Edward, He could be the guy you fall in love with, Bella"

"I just met him today, Alice. I'll admit I like him, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I'm not in love with anybody yet..."

"You two are totally made for each other, Bella. You just have to give it a chance. I could see how you were looking at him Saturday night."

I knew I was totally blushing bright red. "Why are you so intent on playing match maker, Alice?"

"You like him right?"

"He comes off as a little arrogant and acts like a know it all snob, but he's a nice guy too. I'll admit I'm attracted to him... It's totally physical though. I like him because he's a hot guy, but that's just teenage hormones running wild. I'm bright enough not to let them overrule my common sense. I don't know him well enough yet to tell you if I like him as a person or not."

"You two will end up going on more than one date, Bella. We're going to be best friends and I know you're going to hang out with my family a lot. You're a single girl, he's a single guy, you do the math."

"Math isn't my best subject..."

"Bella!" Alice whined.

"Fine, I get it..."

"You need to take advantage of the situation while you can. I say go for it, and grab just as much happiness as you can while it lasts."

"What if I decide I want to try being happy with Jacob instead of Edward?"

"You're just saying that so you have options, and because he was nice to you Saturday night at the bowling alley."

"What's wrong with options? Jacob's a nice guy. So Edward's totally hot but he's also an arrogant ass. He knows I've got baggage, and he still wants to go out with me, but I don't really know either of them yet. I can't get to know them if I don't give them a chance. So maybe I'll go out with Edward when he asks me, but if Jacob asks me out on a date, I'm probably going to say yes, Alice."

"You know, there are things you don't know about Jacob Black, Bella."

"So Sam Uley doesn't like me and there's something strange going on in La Push. I'll stay away if they don't want me on their land, but I'm not going to leave Jacob alone if he's willing to come to me."

"Sam's not too keen about any of us, but that wasn't what I meant. There are things you don't know about Jacob Black in particular..."

"Alice, stop. I know you want to help Edward, but don't say anymore, ok? Let me find out on my own, ok? Don't tell me stories about Jacob so I'll decide Edward is the better choice. Let me make my own mistakes my way. Maybe I won't even care about what you want to tell me about Jacob, but you're Edward's sister and you want me to like him."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't try to warn you." Alice said.

Alice allowed me to direct the conversation to more neutral topics after that. She dropped the subject of Edward and Jacob, and talked about school and clothes and music.

I let her drag me to the couple of boutiques that were here in Forks. I was surprised that there were even any places to shop here in town. I didn't get away without trying on at least a couple of outfits, but it wasn't so bad. Alice had great taste, and I hadn't had a chance to try on nice things for a long time.

Alice was into the whole 'girl' thing, and was into skirts and heels and fashion. She wanted to buy me a new purse but I talked her out of it. She did talk me into some nail polish, but I told her she'd have to come over some day after school to do my nails if she expected me to wear it.

She was totally up for that, and I wondered what I was getting myself into. She wanted to do a complete makeover, but I told her I'd be willing to go for the manicure. I wasn't going to cut my hair, but she could style it if she wanted to.

Alice took me back to the school so I could pick up my car, and hugged me goodbye. She waved as she drove away, and I started the Monte Carlo to go meet Charlie for Dinner. It was good to have a friend.

She wanted me to have a boyfriend too, but I wasn't going to rush into anything. I liked Edward, but Jacob was nice too. Maybe I could go on a couple of dates before I had to make up my mind. I was just blown away that I suddenly had options.

**Author's note:**

And so the love triangle begins...

Usually I don't include the Quileutes in most of the stories I work on, but this was a theme I wanted to explore in this story. The first draft of this story went in somewhat different direction with an invented character for the Jacob part, but I changed my mind and went back to the basic story with my twists on the developing relationships.

Edward isn't going to leave and open the door for Jacob. What if she was interested in both of them from the start, but had to choose which one to date?

In canon she was in love with both of them, but realized the strength of her feelings for Jacob slowly over time, while her feelings for Edward were more straight forward because she was focused on that relationship while it developed.

This is going to be different, and much more confusing for Bella to deal with. Yeah, I know, seventeen year old girl trying to figure out which guy she's in love with. Well, what if she's in love with both of them?

I've also posted chapter 23 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	9. Getting to Know You

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 9 Getting to Know You

Alice dropped me off back at the school to pick up my car after we went to coffee and browsed the shops in town. I liked Alice, and I could see us becoming best friends like she'd implied.

I didn't have a lot of time to agonize over the details of my day. It was only a three block drive to the Diner to meet Charlie. I could have walked there in five minutes and left my car at the school if it wasn't raining out. It was still early for dinner, but I parked next to Charlie's cruiser and went in to meet him.

Dinner was nice. I ordered a bacon double cheeseburger with a mountain of fries and a side salad. I had blueberry pie for dessert with vanilla ice cream. Charlie just smiled and ordered a sirloin steak and baked potato. He had a healthy appetite, but stayed trim regardless. Now he knew why. The more calories he burned practicing his ability, the more he'd need to eat. I'd have to literally eat like a horse to put on any kind of weight, and between using my abilities and aerobics class, I wasn't going to get fat.

We left my car at the diner and took Charlie's cruiser to go shopping. The stores liked having it parked in their parking lot, and we'd have to come back this way to go back to his house anyhow.

"Charlie, how much do you know about the Cullens?" I asked to break the ice.

"The Cullens? They're a nice family. Like I said, I had my doubts when they first moved to town, but they're an asset to the community.

"Carlisle Cullen is a first rate trauma surgeon and he could work in any hospital in the country. We were lucky to get him here in Forks.

"Esme is great, raising all those foster kids, and helping out at the high school. You know she's the wrestling cheerleading coach and teaches the aerobics class at the high school. She also helps out with the music and drama departments. She plays the piano at school events as an accompanist for recitals and volunteers with the school plays sewing costumes and set building and stuff like that.

"Those kids of theirs don't cause any trouble, but you probably know them better than I do now. Most of them play sports I guess. You know Alice, I'm sure. The other girl seems a little withdrawn, but I think she was the victim of abuse before she was taken in by the Cullens."

"Yeah, they're all pretty friendly… I went to get coffee with Alice after school today. She wants to come over to the house to do my nails and have me try on some clothes. She's into fashion and the whole girly skirts and makeup thing. She wants to spend some girl time with me..."

"That's fine, Bella. That shouldn't be any problem. Any time you want to have friends over is fine with me."

"Umm…yeah… Charlie…"

"Just tell me, Bella. What else is going on?"

"Thanks, Charlie... Umm... I guess there's something else you should know..."

"You can tell me anything, Bella."

"I sort of think Edward Masen likes me... I have him in my Biology Class. He asked me if he could call me tonight..."

"Edward Masen you say... Carlisle and Esme's boy...?"

"Edward's a nice guy and I think maybe I like him too..."

"Fine. I'll trust you two to do the right thing. It's just a phone call. I want to meet him first if you decide you're going to date him."

"Charlie! That is so old fashioned. You're not going to try and scare him off are you?"

"I won't be able to scare off any boy that's worth dating. He's gotta have some backbone if he's interested in the police chiefs daughter. You must like the boy if you're defending him and you've known him all of one day. What about Jacob? I thought you were waiting for him to ask you out?"

"I just met him today and one conversation doesn't make him my boyfriend. If Jacob asks me out, I still might say yes. I have to get to know these guys before anything gets serious and I have to start making decisions. Right now I'm just playing the field and keeping my options open."

"Ok... You're being up front with both of them, right? They know about each other?"

"Umm... There was no Edward in the picture when I talked to Jacob, and he didn't come up in our talk today..."

"Fine, well make sure they both know about each other. Don't let it be a surprise to them."

"Ok..."

"Make sure they both know it when you do make any decisions. You know it's wrong to string either of them along once you've made up your mind, right?"

"Of course, but I'm a long way from even going out with either of them."

"Alright, I'll let you play this your own way, but this is dangerous territory when feelings get involved. Once either of them gets emotionally invested in what they think is relationship territory, you've got the potential for disaster. I see this all the time in domestic disputes. Be very careful with this, Bella, or you'll end up playing with fire."

I nodded and we didn't speak more about it during dinner. It was a short drive to the store and Charlie pulled into the parking lot and parked. We decided to go to Newton's Outfitters first to get my gym clothes. Charlie knew I needed workout clothes for gym class. He told me to just pick up whatever I needed while he went to go look at the fishing gear. I went back to look at the workout clothes, and I was surprised to find Mike Newton working at the store. He must have come over right after basketball practice.

"Hey, Mike, you work here?" I asked.

"Yeah, it kind of fits… I'm Mike Newton, this is Newton's Outfitters. My family owns this place."

"I knew your parents owned the store. I just didn't realize you worked here too. So they make you come to work after basketball practice? I figured if you had to work here, you'd work on the weekends or something."

"I asked to work during the week. It's actually pretty slow in here most nights during the week. I can't work Friday nights, because I usually have games, but my parents work around my schedule. This way I have weekends off to go out and do what I want."

"Yeah… About that weekend thing… I'm not going to be able to go to the movies on Saturday."

Mike seemed perplexed at first. Then it was like a light bulb suddenly went off over his head. "Ohh… Saturday… Movies… Right, I asked you out. That's ok, Bella... I would have had to back out if you'd said yes now. I'm sorry about that, you're a really nice girl, but I think me and Jessica are going to get back together. I know it's early, but I'm asking her to go to Winter Formal, and we're going out this Saturday night."

Well, I guess Jessica had made her decision. I hoped she didn't regret it.

"That's great, Mike. Jessica is a nice girl. I'm happy for you two."

"Thanks, Bella, Jessica is great. I can't believe I almost let everything we've shared together slip away. I hope you and Edward can be as happy as we are."

"Edward...? I like Edward, but he's not my boyfriend… I'm keeping my options open."

I wondered what Mike had heard. He was in my Biology class too. I was sure he'd seen me talking to Edward the whole class period, but nobody in the class had seemed to pay any attention to us.

"You and Masen seemed to be hitting it off. I assumed you were telling me no because he asked you out..."

Mike looked totally perplexed again, and then he had that 'ah ha' moment again. "You're not interested in that Jacob kid from bowling the other night, are you? He'll totally use you. You should just go out with Edward and forget him." He said it with conviction like he really believed it.

It was like something from the twilight zone, and I had no idea where this was coming from. It was completely from left field, and I had no idea where he was getting this from.

I was totally floored that he'd have the nerve to offer me relationship advice after he'd asked me out this morning and then got shot down, particularly after what I'd learned about him and Jessica today.

"Why don't you let me figure that out for myself, and you just show me workout clothes, alright?"

Mike just nodded. "Aerobics outfits, right… What size?"

"Size zero?"

Mike nodded and led me over to some racks to show me what they had. I picked out a couple of outfits and tried them on. They were cute for Lycra yoga pants and tank tops. I picked out a couple of sports bras and told Mike to take them up front, and we'd pick them up when we checked out. I went and found Charlie in the fishing department when I was ready to go. He'd picked out a couple of new lures to try, and we walked up to the front of the store to check out.

Grocery shopping was easy and relaxing. I hadn't gotten to do as much as I would have liked in the last two years, but I'd always done most of the shopping and cooking when Phil was alive and we'd lived in Phoenix. We were soon done, and Charlie's eyes bugged at the quantity of food we purchased. It looked like enough for a family of four instead of just the two of us. We both had healthy appetites though, and it was something he was going to have to get used to.

~o~MTH~o~

I put away most of the groceries by myself when we got home. Charlie had let Mary run the kitchen when she'd been alive and he wasn't particular about where things went. I was free to create my own system as long as he could still find the things he was familiar with.

Charlie was a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but he offset that with an inordinately large amount of fish compared to the typical American diet. He ate what he caught, and he liked to fish. I'd picked up supplies to make lasagna and chicken enchiladas and a few more recipes that were favorites to change up the meal plan. I wasn't exactly a vegetarian, but I wasn't real big on tons of red meat in my diet either. I could enjoy a steak or a hamburger, but I picked up quite a bit of chicken and it was time to start reintroducing vegetables and salads into Charlie's diet.

He might burn off a lot of calories, but cholesterol was still cholesterol. Just because he could eat like a horse and not weigh three hundred pounds didn't mean his arteries couldn't get clogged full of plaque. I'd finally found him and I wanted to keep him around for as long as I could. First generation enhanced humans didn't get as many of the health benefits from their enhancements as us second generation kids. More often than not, the first generation enhancements were detrimental to the subject's health, but they got a power as a tradeoff.

I went up to my room to start in on my homework once I was finished putting up the groceries and organizing the kitchen to suit me. I breezed through most of the work. I read the assigned sections of the texts and simply answered the review questions based on what I'd read. I'd already read the novel for English, but I'd probably read it again for fun. I'd save that until I was going to go to bed though.

I considered what Edward had said in Biology though. It made sense to simply read through the text books from cover to cover to get it out of the way, and then I could simply do the work as it was assigned to turn it in. I'd have to work on that in my spare time, though. For now, I was struggling through my trigonometry assignment. It just didn't click in my brain and I really just didn't get it.

I thought I had a logical mind for the most part, and you'd think I wouldn't have any trouble with math, but my brain just didn't work that way. English, History, Spanish, Biology, no problem, there was no homework for gym, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around numbers. Hell, on occasion basic math facts eluded me. I struggled through on the basis of a lot of memorization and heavy use of a calculator. I did good enough that I wasn't reduced to counting on my fingers and toes, but the basic rules didn't quite make sense to me, and I couldn't feel or relate to math and numbers the way I understood languages and courses like science and history.

I'd gone over the previous lessons in the book from before I moved here and was re-reading the lesson we were working on for the third time when my phone finally rang. I looked at the caller ID and smiled when I saw Edward's name. I grabbed my phone and answered the call.

"Hi, Edward," I answered the phone. "I was hoping you'd call."

"_Hello, Bella_," Edward said in his perfect voice.

It was just as perfect flowing out of the tiny speaker on my phone as it had been in person, and it sent butterflies fluttering through my stomach to hear it. His voice was kind of amazing, all warm and low and smooth like honey and made me want to melt against him when I heard it. I couldn't believe he was actually speaking to me. He was too perfect to be interested in me, but his voice was speaking out of my phone.

"_I was wondering if you'd call for help with the Biology assignment," Edward continued, "but I hadn't heard from you, so I thought I'd check up and see how you were doing._"

"I'm working on my homework. The Biology assignment was very easy once I finished reading the chapter. Whether or not we paid attention to the lecture had no effect on my completing the assignment. It was just review questions to make sure we understood what we'd read. Most of my assignments were easy, but I struggle with math. This trig assignment is really kicking my butt."

"_When do you have trig tomorrow?_" Edward asked.

"Third period, after American History…"

"_Well, I suppose we can't work on it at lunch then. I can meet you early before school and help you with it if you'd like._"

"Don't you go to the weight room in the morning with the other wrestlers to work out before school? I don't want to disrupt your schedule."

"_Our primary reason for going to school is learning, getting good grades and preparing for college. I can give up a day in the weight room to help you understand your trig homework. If you need additional help, I could make arrangements to work with you and help you with your future trig assignments._"

"Umm... Ok... I really don't get this at all. I can come early tomorrow morning if you'd like so I can finish this. Where should I meet you?"

"_Just wait in the parking lot in your car if I'm not their waiting for you. The library will be closed, but we can sit in the car or go into the gym and find a quiet corner to study in._"

"Ok, that sounds great. I'll save this for the morning then."

"_Good, I'll make sure I'm early to meet you…_"

Edward seemed like he was at a loss for how to continue the conversation. He'd called on the premise of checking up on whether or not I needed help on my homework. I was curious about him and wanted to learn more about him. I could tell he didn't want to end the call yet either, but he didn't seem to know what to say to keep me talking.

"So, I went out with Alice after school today to get coffee," I continued, starting us off on a new topic.

"_Yes, Alice related your afternoon's escapades to me._"

He didn't sound pleased. I couldn't see where he'd have a problem with anything we'd done, but then I thought about everything we'd talked about.

She wouldn't have told him about Jacob, would she? It wasn't like it was a secret or anything, and I fully intended to make Edward aware of everything that was going on, but I could see where he could be a little put out if he knew I was considering going out with Jacob too.

I didn't bring up that subject yet. I wanted to find out more about him and his family first.

"Umm… Yeah… So Alice said she went to Philadelphia with Jasper to meet Carlisle, but when we were talking today in Biology Class, you said you were from Chicago…"

"_I was born in Chicago. Carlisle and Esme were living there when they took me in. We moved shortly thereafter. We've lived in many different cities throughout the United States over the years. We were living in Philadelphia when Alice and Jasper joined our family. Carlisle and Esme were living in Rochester, New York when Rosalie joined the family. Emmett is originally from the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area, although I believe his family lived in an unincorporated rural area outside of town._"

"Wow, so none of you are actually even from Washington?"

"_No. Actually we were living in Alaska before we came to Forks. We lived in Rochester, Minnesota before we moved to Alaska._"

"That's an awful lot of moving around. It doesn't sound like you've ever stayed in one place for very long. Why do you move around so much? That almost sounds like some military families I've heard of."

"_Our reasons were much more mundane. Esme prefers living in small towns over the hustle and bustle of big cities. Carlisle likes to volunteer his services to smaller rural hospitals that are in need of skilled personnel, rather than stagnating in a big urban hospital. He still has the old house call mentality, and feels that physicians should be accessible to patients, rather than patients having to travel to the doctor._

"_That's not always feasible in this day and age of specialized test equipment and diagnostic machinery, but a small rural hospital is a tradeoff he's willing to accept. In the past he'd stay long enough to get the hospital turned around and back on its feet, and then find another small hospital to help. _

"_Rochester, Minnesota was an exception, though. He was working on a research project at the Mayo Clinic with some old colleagues of his. We went to Alaska when the grant money dried up and the project ended._"

"Wow, the Mayo Clinic? I've heard of that. That's a top research hospital."

"_Carlisle has those kinds of credentials, but he really prefers smaller towns and small rural hospitals._"

"I guess that makes sense. So how did you end up in Forks of all places?"

"_Alaska was a nice rest of sorts, but it was a little remote for all of our tastes. We wanted someplace a little closer to civilization, and Seattle is only three hours away from here. Carlisle found that the local hospital had an opening that appealed to him so he applied for the position and we moved when they accepted his resume._"

"So are you sticking around for a while this time, or are Carlisle and Esme going to change their minds again and pull you all out of school tomorrow? It sounds like you've moved at least seven times in the last ten years or so."

That was something I hadn't considered. I had no idea how long I'd be able to stay. I might have to run for it at a moment's notice, but I hadn't considered that anyone else I cared about might pull up stakes and leave me behind.

What if I got involved with Edward and his family decided to leave town?

What if Victoria and her trained lap dogs, James and Laurent showed up and I had to run again?

Was I and idiot to consider the possibility of giving my heart to somebody when I had no idea how long we might have together?

Would Edward or Jacob leave with me if I had to run? Would they let me go with them if we became involved? I knew I couldn't go to La Push.

Was I selfish enough to involve somebody else in the drama of my life when I knew there were people hunting me who wanted me dead?

"_We aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Carlisle and Esme have committed to staying in Forks at least until Alice and I graduate from high school. Our family will likely relocate together when we go to college._"

So two years… People could build a relationship to last a lifetime together in two years. If that was even what I wanted... I wasn't holding out any hope that I'd even still be alive in two years. Of course I'd lasted two years on the run so far, and Charlie said the trail was cold.

Renee and I had lived in relative peace for ten years the last time we gave them the slip and our trail went cold. I was paranoid that they'd show up any minute and I'd have to run for it, but I had to admit, I could probably live here for at least two years if I was careful and didn't attract attention. Then maybe I could disappear onto a college campus somewhere to go to school for another four years.

I could try and relax and be happy for a while. Having a boyfriend for the next couple of years wasn't such a bad idea. It could work until I decided where I wanted to go to school.

"That sounds good. I'm planning on staying here until I graduate too. Then all bets are off. I have no clue where I want to go to college yet. Maybe someplace warm and sunny."

"_You like it sunny and warm, don't you? We've always lived in the north or colder climates where you experience the change of seasons. Have you always lived in the Southwest before you came to Forks?_"

It was odd that he said Southwest instead of Phoenix. It almost made you think that he knew I hadn't lived there for a while and didn't want to set me up to have to lie to him, but I shrugged it off and ignored it.

"I can remember living out on the east coast when I was very little, but my mom was from this area and went to the University of Washington for a couple of years. I lived in California until I was five, and then we moved to Phoenix when Renee got married. She finished school going to night school and got a job as a Kindergarten teacher after she married Phil.

"Times were kind of tough after he died. We moved around a lot through Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. We lived in border towns a lot. As far as the change of seasons is concerned, I've never even seen snow for real, except on TV or in movies."

"_Well, Forks isn't too terrible, but you'll get to see some snow. Possibly quite soon, in fact. This Thursday is the first of December. We'll certainly have snow before Christmas, but it rarely sticks to the ground for more than a day or two. We get storms coming in off the Pacific that are a bit warmer than freezing, and the rain melts it. Black ice and freezing rain are really more dangerous that snow. They're harder to recognize and make the road surfaces slippery and treacherous._"

"Lovely, so not only will I freeze to death, but I'll be sliding all over the place on ice and probably die crashing into a tree."

"_I can't believe I've allowed this conversation to turn to the weather and road conditions. That is completely unacceptable. Please forgive me, Bella, but I'm not interested in those things at all. To tell you the truth, I'm really more interested in learning more about you._"

"Umm... You are?"

"_Yes I am. I find you intriguing and completely captivating. I'd really much prefer to talk about you._"

"Umm... I'd like to know you better too. So what would you like to know about me?" I asked.

"_What kind of music do you like to listen to...?_"

We talked about everything after that. We discussed music and our favorite bands. Edward liked a broad assortment of music and had similar tastes to me. I was slightly envious of the fact that he was musical and played the piano, and I told him I wanted him to play for me sometime so I could hear him for myself.

We talked about books and authors and I discovered that Edward was very well read and enjoyed many of the same authors as I did. He was able to discuss my favorite books and stories with me and share his opinion of the characters motivations and why they did the the things they did in the stories we both loved. We didn't always share the same opinion, but he was able to make logical arguments based on the facts presented in the books.

He talked about places his family had lived and shared stories about his family being a family. I shared stories form my happy years when Phil and Renee were alive and were my parents and I went to school like a normal kid.

We talked about movies and our favorite actors and actresses. We talked about our favorite foods and why we liked them. We talked about anything and everything.

It was about one in the morning before I finally started to nod off and Edward told me to go to bed and get some sleep. We talked on the phone for like three hours and I couldn't believe Edward was so interested in me that he'd want to talk to me for that long. I didn't want to let him go, but I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

I finally relented and told Edward good night, plugged my phone into the charger and collapsed into bed, dead asleep before my head hit hit the pillow.

~o~MTH~o~

Tuesday went more smoothly than Monday. I didn't have to go to the office or sign into classes. I had most of my homework done and prepared to hand in except for trig. It was a relief to know where to sit and what to expect. I knew what to expect from the teachers, who was difficult to get along with and whose class was more laid back and easy going. I started to settle into a routine.

Edward met me before school and we went into the gym so he could help me with my trig homework. He didn't do it for me, but patiently explained each problem so I could understand what the problem was trying to accomplish and helped me to work through the assignment. It was much easier with him there to explain the parts that didn't make sense to me. Much of it was still completely foreign to me, but I knew I'd be able to figure it out with somebody like Edward to help me work through it.

I resolved to ask Mrs. Post about the peer tutoring program she'd mentioned. I was going to need more help than she was willing to provide to pass this class, but I didn't want to monopolize Edward's time. He had wrestling practice every day after school, and went to the weight room before school. Any time we spent together I'd prefer to be about us, not me trying to pass trig.

I knew I had to keep my grades up to maintain a decent GPA. Half my transcript was bogus and fabricated, but I could add two years of real academic achievement to it and I wanted to try and get into college based on my merits and work I'd actually done, not fake documents that we bought from some diploma mill.

Regardless, I did end up spending more time with Edward during school. There was a mutual attraction and we became friends. We went to the library during lunch most of that first week so he could help me with my trig homework. I got enough of it done and he explained enough of the problems that it was easy to finish whatever was left of the assignments at night when I did the rest of my homework.

Edward and I chatted again for most of fifth period biology, and that turned into a regular thing too. I couldn't believe that Mr. Banner didn't care that we basically ignored the class, but he never called us on it, and we were both passing the class with A's. Maybe he just didn't care because we did all the work and never got anything wrong. I was really too busy chatting with Edward to care. The exceptions were days we had labs, and then we had to do the work in class, but we were always the first team done.

Aerobics class was relaxing after the rest of my day at school and I enjoyed the vigorous workout as a good way to wind down before I went out with Alice after school.

I'd asked Alice what she'd told Edward about Jacob the next day at school. She'd admitted that she had no secrets from Edward and had told him everything. I wasn't mad at her. It wasn't a secret that I was friends with Jacob too. Actually it made it easier to talk to Edward about Jacob and tell him where we all stood. I wasn't going to start sneaking around, and I could be friends with both of them.

I got the distinct feeling that Edward didn't like me being friends with Jacob too, but he was in no position to dictate who I could be friends with. He simply ignored the fact that Jacob was my friend too, and we didn't talk about him. Besides, I saw Edward every day at school, and I hadn't seen Jacob since Saturday night. He never called me, but Edward called every night.

Alice and I grew closer. She was my friend and we spent every afternoon together after school. Most days we went out for coffee and a snack since I was skipping lunch to study with Edward. She came over and gave me that manicure, and a pedicure too. I let her paint my fingernails, and then she painted my toenails to match.

Charlie absolutely adored her, and she had him completely wrapped around her little finger. He invited her to stay for dinner, and I showed her how to cook. Alice was worthless in the kitchen, but she could follow instructions and never made a mistake twice. Before we started hanging out together, I doubted she could boil water or fry an egg.

We experimented with makeup on days when we went to my house after coffee and she had dozens of tips and tricks to show me. She was scandalized by my meager wardrobe and the fact that I only owned jeans and a couple of special occasion dresses. She brought over outfits for me to try on so she could 'loan' them to me. I knew she must have bought some of the clothes she let me 'borrow' because they wouldn't have fit her.

I had more skirts in my closet now than at any other time in my life prior to moving to Forks, although I had yet to wear one out in public. She was pestering me to wear one to school, but so far I had been able to resist her efforts to make me dress more fashionably.

Alice had successfully forced me to get over my aversion to really high heels. I still hadn't worn any out of the house yet, but she brought over shoes for me to try on with the clothes she brought over to play with and showed me how to walk in them. She suggested I wear the 'practice shoes' around the house until I got the hang of it and mastered the skill of walking in heels. It really wasn't so bad once I got the hang of it, and I did wear some of the pairs of heels she'd left for me when I was at home until I was comfortable getting around and even going up and down the stairs in them.

I suppose once I got over my fears and really tried them, I kind of liked the shoes and how they looked when I wore them, but I wasn't going to tell Alice that, or she'd have me in them twenty-four seven. I wasn't opposed to trying them on an experimental basis though, maybe when we went out someplace, but definitely not to school. More pairs of shoes started to accumulate in my closet like the skirts, dresses and fashionable tops she brought over for me to try on.

Between school, going out with Alice after school and trying to keep up with my homework, I was busy all the time. I started cooking dinner at home after we had some groceries in the house, but it didn't really cut into my after school time with Alice all that much. Charlie's schedule was erratic like he'd said, and he got home late as often as not. He'd try to text me when he had some idea when he'd get in and I'd plan meal times around his best guess. Sometimes we ate at six, sometimes at nine, sometimes he'd just grab something while he was out and I'd end up eating alone with plenty of leftovers in the fridge for snacks. Apparently meeting him at five for dinner was something special he planned and wasn't even close to his norm.

My life had settled out as I fell into a routine, but one thing kept bugging me during that first week of school. I was surprised I hadn't heard from Jacob.

I'd given him my cell phone number once I had one, and the phone at the house was in the book. He'd seemed like he was interested when we'd gone bowling, and I couldn't believe he wasn't persistent enough to even call and talk to me. He'd been friendly enough the couple of times I'd seen him, and he'd said he was going to spend more time with me. At least if he'd already given up, it made my life easier if Edward turned out to be the guy I wanted to date. I doubted that was the case though. I had a feeling he was more persistent than that, and I wondered what was going on with Jacob that was keeping him away.

I found out Thursday evening when I drove home to start dinner for Charlie. Alice was tied up with Esme finishing up preparations for the wrestling tournament on Friday. We'd gone out for coffee after gym class while Esme was at practice with the cheerleaders, but then Alice had dropped me off back at my car to go run errands.

Jacob's pickup truck was parked in front of the house and he got out to greet me when I pulled into the driveway to park. He was wearing black leather boots, jeans and a black leather motorcycle jacket. It made him look even older and maybe a little intimidating to somebody who didn't know him. He had a definite biker/rocker vibe going on with his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, but I knew he was a sweetheart and would never hurt me.

"Hey, Jake, long time, no see." I said as I walked up to him and gave him a loose one arm hug. "I thought you dropped off the face of the planet. How are you?"

He seemed surprised and startled that I was being friendly to him. "I'm fine... I had to come see you in person to find out why you're avoiding me. You are impossible to get a hold of on the phone. Do you even have voice mail? I can't even leave you a message."

I walked up on the porch while we talked and unlocked the door. I pushed the door open and motioned for Jacob to follow me inside. He took off his jacket to get more comfortable and was wearing what looked like a blue button down uniform shirt with his name embroidered over the pocket on the left breast. I walked into the kitchen as we talked.

"I'm not avoiding you... I've been waiting for you to call me. I figured you would have called me by now. I have voice mail, and there's an answering machine on the house phone… My service hasn't shown any missed calls..."

"That is so weird! I must have tried to call you like a dozen times every day all week, but your house phone is either always busy or nobody picks up. Your cell always goes to voice mail after one ring, but it says your voice mailbox isn't set up yet. I figured you had to be screening my calls and letting it go to voice mail because you didn't want to talk to me."

I had no clue what was going on. That was completely weird. Nobody else had any difficulty calling me. I wasn't screening Jacob's calls, I had been waiting for him to call me. I knew there were people who didn't think it was a good idea for the two of us to hook up, but how could they possibly be preventing Jacob from calling me?

"Go ahead and get something to drink if you like. I have to start dinner for Charlie. Excuse me for a minute while I put away my things and go wash my hands..."

"If you've gotta go use the bathroom, just say so, Bella. I'm cool." Jacob said with a chuckle.

I blushed red, but Jacob walked to the fridge and opened the door to look inside while I hurried up the stairs. I tossed my purse and messenger bag on my bed in my room, and then hurried down the hall to the bathroom. Jacob was right, all that coffee with Alice went right through me. I took care of business, and then washed my hands.

Jacob was sitting at the kitchen table when I walked back into the room. I'd told him to help himself to a drink, but he was drinking one of Charlie's beers. I knew he was only sixteen. I didn't want to be uncool and call him on it, but I knew I had to say something.

"Umm... I told you to help yourself, but that's Charlie's beer. He's gonna think I'm getting into it if he misses it..."

"It's cool, Bella... Charlie doesn't mind. Besides, you said you were cool with a couple of beers."

"Well, yeah, if you scored some beers and we were out somewhere, I'd have one, but I doubt Charlie would be cool walking in and catching you drinking his beer when he's not even home. He told me he caught you and Quil and Embry with beer down at the river before, and gave you a talking to and sent you home. What did he tell you then?"

"To be more careful and don't get caught. I guess you're right. He confiscated the beer, but he let us go. I guess that was pretty cool of him. He could have been a hard ass about it and gotten us in serious trouble."

"Charlie's a good guy, and he wants to do the right thing. I think he's more about enforcing the spirit of the law than the letter of the law sometimes. That doesn't mean we should take advantage of his good nature. "

"Ok, I get it. You don't want to get caught. I can deal with that."

"Fine, I don't know what's wrong with the phone, but I wasn't avoiding you, Jacob. I was seriously wondering why you hadn't called me."

"Sure, sure, I'll try and figure out the phone thing. I was worried you didn't want to talk to me after Saturday night. I would have come over sooner to talk to you, but I've been busy with work. I had to beg off a job tonight to come over to talk to you, but I couldn't let it go any longer."

I started getting things out to cook dinner while Jacob and I talked. He didn't offer to help, but then I didn't need any help. He seemed content to sit at the table and watch me work while I cooked. He finished the beer and tossed the can in the recycling when he was done.

"You have a job? I didn't know..."

Jacob shrugged as he sat at the table watching me. "Bills don't pay themselves and Billy only gets so much from the tribe as a stipend. He gets squat for disability, so I got a job at the Auto Repair as a mechanic."

"You're a mechanic? Don't you have to go to school for that and get some kind of certificate or something? I thought Charlie said Billy owned shares in some of the fishing boats in La Push?"

Jacob shrugged again. "That's seasonal at best. He gets a share of the catch and can sell it or eat it. Usually he sells it, but the money doesn't last through the year."

"Oh..."

"I have natural skill with cars and it doesn't take a lot of schooling to change oil and mount and change tires. I can do most of the jobs in the shop already. There's a certificate program at school, and they teach us useful job skills in the ROP classes. I'll have a certificate when I graduate, and then I can go to trade school to qualify for more advanced systems. All a piece of paper does is prove to people I can do a job I'm already doing for people that need to see a shiny frame hanging on the wall, but I can tear down a motor and put it back together now."

"That is so cool. You've already got your career all planned out. All I've got is some vague notion to go to college, but I have no idea what I want to do after school. I don't even know what I want to study yet."

Jacob shrugged. "It's a job. I'll never be rich, but people always need a mechanic. Pacific College in Port Angeles offers a lot of classes to certify for specialty repair jobs and diagnostic equipment. I can get an AA degree in two years and work in any shop I walk into. I figure if I'm careful and save my pennies; someday I can own my own shop and be my own boss."

"That's a good plan. It sounds stable and sensible."

"So what about you? How's school going? You were kind of nervous about starting a new school and being the center of attention the last time we talked."

"School is ok. It helped meeting some of the kids before I started school. It made the first day easier and made it easier to make friends and fit in."

"That's cool. So who are you friends with? Anyone I know?"

I shrugged. "I'm friends with Alice Brandon. I was hanging out with her before I came home tonight."

"Alice Brandon?" Jacob seemed lost in thought for a minute. "Isn't she that little black haired girl that lives in the Cullen's group home?"

"Umm... Yeah... She lives with the Cullens. Why, is that important?"

"I don't know. I asked around a little bit about what you said about Sam threatening you. He doesn't like the Cullens either, although his protectors could care less about any of the other kids from Forks coming down to La Push."

"That is strange..."

"You never did tell me what Sam's got against you, Bella. What is he trying to protect me from?"

"You know I can't say anything Jacob..."

"Fine, but I'm going to figure it out, Bella..."

I knew I couldn't say anymore, but then I heard Charlie's cruiser pull up out front. Jacob would automatically assume I wanted to keep this a secret from Charlie too, so I knew he wouldn't ask any more questions while Charlie was home.

"I can't talk about it now. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Sure, if you want me too..."

"Stay, but go wash your mouth out before Charlie comes in. You smell like beer."

Jacob chuckled but got up and went up to the bathroom. He was coming back downstairs when Charlie came in.

"Hey, Charlie," Jacob greeted him as he walked through the door.

Charlie seemed surprised to see him, but then he smiled and gave Jacob a hug and clapped him on the back.

"Hey, Jake, good to see you... Is your dad here?" Charlie asked as he looked around.

"No, I got off work, and thought I'd drop by to see Bella. I've been trying to call her but there was something wrong with the phone. She invited me to stay for dinner..."

"Sure, no problem. You're always welcome. Tell your dad not to be a stranger. I want him to get to know Bella..."

"I'll tell him, but you know how those old-timers get on the rez. They don't handle change well."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't call Billy an old-timer. He's not much older than me..."

Jacob laughed. "You said it, Charlie, not me..."

"Hey, I am not old!"

"Whatever you say old-timer. So how about those SuperSonics? You think they're going to go all the way?"

The TV clicked on and I saw Jacob settle onto the couch in the living room. They continued their sports talk, and I could hear the sounds of a basketball game on the TV in the background. I sighed with relief and finished fixing dinner. At least Jacob wasn't asking anymore awkward questions I didn't want to answer. I'd gotten away with just mentioning Alice, but I knew I was going to have to tell him about Edward too.

I tried not to think about that. I cooked and then set the table. Charlie came in after a while to get a beer.

"Smells good, Bella, I've gotta admit, you're one hell of a cook."

"Thanks, Charlie. It's relaxing and I always enjoyed cooking. I missed having a kitchen to putter around in the last couple of years..."

Charlie glanced in the other room. "So, Jacob's hanging around... You're ok with that?"

"Sure... Jake's cool."

"Does he know about you and Edward?"

"There is no me and Edward yet. I haven't even gone out with him. We're just friends and he helps me with my homework. I'm allowed to have other friends. He's a boy, and he's my friend, but he isn't my boyfriend. That goes for both of them. If that changes, I'll make sure they both know it."

"Ok... As long as you know what you're doing. It's just... I wouldn't keep the fact that you're spending a lot of time with Edward a secret from Jake. Be up front about it, and let him decide if he's ok with it. I'm not saying you should change anything you're doing, but he should know so he can decide if he wants to keep hanging around or not. One way or another, I think you're going to have to make up your mind in a hurry, or you're playing with fire."

"Ok. Thanks, Charlie. Now, go wash up and then we can eat. Dinner is almost ready."

Charlie nodded. He set his beer on the table by his plate, and then walked out of the kitchen. "Foods about done, Jake," Charlie called into the living room as he went up the stairs to wash up.

"God, that smell delicious, Bella," Jacob said as he walked back into the kitchen. "If you can cook like this, I might just have to steal you away from Charlie and take you home with me, Sam be damned! I do most of the cooking at home, but my specialty is hamburger helper. I can cook anything that comes in a box, a can, or the freezer, but more complex ingredients are beyond me."

"Oh yeah, that comment isn't sexist at all. What are you going to do, hit me over the head with your club, and drag me home by my hair, big caveman Jake? Are you going to tie me up in your kitchen just to cook for you?"

Jacob looked me up and down, and I knew it wasn't food that was on his mind. "If I was going to drag you home and tie you up, I could think of more interesting things to do than make you cook for me."

Jacob sat down at the table, and I knew I was blushing bright red when Charlie walked back in. He looked from me towards Jake and back with a knowing look on his face, but he didn't comment and we sat down to eat.

Dinner was fun, and Jacob had a healthy appetite. He didn't seem to notice that I ate almost as much as he did and kept up with him on second servings. We ate our fill while Charlie and Jacob told stories about times they'd spent at family gatherings and times they'd shared meals in the past. They got along well together and you couldn't help but notice the familial bond they shared.

I was surprised that Jacob helped me clear the table, and then helped me rinse the dishes and load them into the dish washer. Charlie left us alone and went into the living room to watch the rest of the game.

"You seem to be settling in nicely and adjusting to your new life here in Forks," Jacob said.

"I like it here. It's peaceful. I could deal with less rain, but it's not such a bad place to live."

"That's good to know. I said once you were settled in I was going to ask you out..."

"Jake..."

"Do you want to go out Saturday night? We could get some dinner and maybe go to the movies..."

"Jake... I can't go out with you on Saturday night... I'm going over to the Cullens on Saturday. Alice invited me over for dinner and we're hanging out at her house."

"Ok, so maybe some other night then?"

"There's something else you need to know, Jacob. I'm kind of friends with Edward Masen too. I think he likes me, and we've been hanging out a lot…"

"Oh... He lives with the Cullens too… So is he your boyfriend now?"

"No... I just met him when I started school here. We're friends and he helps me with my homework. I've got him in one of my classes at school, and he seems nice. We haven't even gone out yet, but I think I'd like to get to know him better. I think maybe we have something together. I've got to get to know somebody before I can decide if they're boyfriend material."

"I'm nice and you just met me when you moved here too. Do I get a chance to take you out so you can get to know me? I know we can have some fun together. Maybe I might be boyfriend material."

"Umm… Ok… I'm busy Friday and Saturday, and chances are Sunday's going to be busy too, but the rest of my schedule is open. There's a wrestling meet on Monday, but I don't I'm think I'm going to with Alice. It's all the way in Bainbridge, and we wouldn't get back until two in the morning."

"Ok, how about next Friday night then? We can go to dinner and hang out..." Jacob looked over his shoulder at Charlie in the other room, but he wasn't paying attention to us. "Maybe I can score us a few beers and we can party if you're cool with that. Or we could always go back to the bowling alley unless you want to drive to the movies in Port Angeles, but I don't know what's playing."

"Umm… Friday's cool. Charlie won't complain about me going to dinner and driving to Port Angles on a Friday night. The movies sound like fun..."

"That's cool. It's a date then. I'll pick you up at five, ok?"

"Sure, that's fine..."

"I guess I better get headed home… I'm still avoiding Sam, and I'd be leaving now if I was done with work."

"Ok, let me walk you out to your truck."

Jacob nodded and we walked back through the house to the door.

"G'night, Charlie," Jacob called into the living room. "I'm heading home now. I'll tell Billy what you said about not being a stranger and stopping by sometime. You know you're always welcome in La Push too."

"'Night, Jake," Charlie said, but he didn't get up. "Thanks for stopping by. Tell Billy hi for me."

"I'm gonna walk Jake out to his truck, Charlie. I'll be back in a minute…"

"Sure, Bella…" Charlie turned back to the basketball game on the TV.

Jacob shrugged back into his black leather jacket before he pushed the door open. It was cold outside, but I didn't bother with a jacket or sweater. It wasn't raining and the cold wasn't going to affect me. I'd only be outside for a minute.

We walked to the truck, and then Jacob turned to face me instead of opening the door. He reached out and stroked my cheek with his fingertips. His touch was warm and gentle and I liked it.

"You are so pretty, Bella…" Jacob said.

I closed my eyes and reveled in the touch of his fingers on my skin, leaning into his touch. I didn't realize he had moved closer until I felt his hand on my hip pulling me against him and smelt his musky male scent up close, filling my nostrils and overwhelming my senses again…

My eyes opened as Jacob's lips touched mine, and then he was kissing me. He pulled me closer as his hand moved into my hair and cradled my head. I reacted instinctively to the gentle pressure on my lips, kissing him back. It felt very nice and I tilted my head to improve the angle so our noses didn't bump...

Jakes lips moved on mine, and then I felt them part as the tip of his tongue slipped across my lip. My lips parted and the tip of his tongue touched mine. Fireworks exploded in my head and I realized my eyes were closed again. My hands were pressed against his hard sculpted chest as he held me in his arms, pressed up against his body…

It felt so completely right…

Then Jacob was stepping away. His hands lingered on my body, holding me like he was reluctant to let go. He stepped back and opened the door of the truck.

"Jake…" I was so confused… I wanted to be friends with Jacob but this was so very nice, and apparently I wanted more on some level that eluded conscious thought.

"I've gotta go, Bella… I'll see you on Friday night, ok? I'll try to call you," and then he was climbing into the truck.

I stepped back as he closed the door. He smiled at me as he started the motor, and then pulled away from the curb. I just stood there in a daze for a minute with my fingertips resting on my lips as I reveled in the memory of Jacob's lips on mine…

The first few raindrops broke me out of my reverie and I shook myself and walked back into the house to start my homework. This was going to be so much harder than I had ever imagined. I knew I wasn't just friends with Jacob Black, and I was much more than just friends with Edward too. I knew I was going to have to make choices soon, but for the life of me, I didn't know how I was ever going to decide and that wasn't fair to any of us.

Charlie looked over at me as I started toward the stairs. "Not your boyfriend, right?"

I stopped and looked at Charlie, and his expression softened as he read the confusion on my face. "What am I going to do, Charlie? They're both very special to me…"

"You're gonna have to decide which one you're going to spend time with Bella. It isn't fair to either of them if you don't make a decision. The sooner you decide, the better it'll be for all of you. The longer you let this go on, the messier it's going to get."

**Author's note:**

Sorry this is a little late. I'm still on vacation for the holidays and my routine is off. Back to work for me on Monday.

This story is something new for me. I have a tendency to have relationships develop too quickly. I'm trying to stretch things out and have them take time within the limitations of who they are and what's going on around them.

I've also posted chapter 24 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	10. Interlude – Hunting

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **VPOV (Victoria). guest narrator POV for the other side of the story in the interlude chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

**Warning: ** This chapter contains depictions of graphic violence. If you are easily offended by violence against women and non-consensual sexual situations, then skip this chapter.

This chapter is part of the hunters storyline. The main storyline will continue in the next chapter.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 10 Interlude – Hunting

Thursday – 12/01/2005

We'd been in Seattle for almost a week now, but we hadn't turned up any leads on Dwyer. James was having a field day though. There were a lot of enhanced humans and mutants in Seattle and the surrounding suburbs. So far we'd been cataloging and identifying the local mutant community. We were working up a threat assessment for Langley while searching for leads to Dwyer.

Courtney was holding up as well as could be expected but the strain was obvious and James was wearing on her. She wasn't pregnant. I'd forced her to take the morning after pill and had planted the suggestion to get on the pill deep enough that she'd done it when we'd gone back to the base. At least she was at least safe from that happening now. Whether or not she survived this depended on how strong she was as a person now, but her self-image and self-respect had been shattered. She was simply going through the motions now and doing her job because she didn't know how to do anything different.

She knew she'd had sex with somebody and wasn't a virgin anymore. She was pretty disgusted with herself because she couldn't remember how it had happened and wasn't even a hundred percent sure that she'd slept with James. There weren't a lot of other options though and she was pretty sure it had been him. She hadn't confronted him about it, and they didn't talk about it, but James made enough sexual innuendos throughout the course of their association that she thought she'd figured it out.

She was actually sort of attracted to him, or at least the image he showed to the public and I had nothing to do with that at all. She didn't mind the thought of having sex with him if that was what was going on. The problem was she wasn't sure and didn't remember sleeping with him because we kept erasing her memory of what was really going on.

She'd started drinking heavily in our off hours to block out what she thought she had allowed to happen and what she'd become. She assumed that she'd allowed it to happen and that that was why it was still happening. She hadn't shut him down because I was subtly influencing her mind to make her ok with what was going on and she thought she was getting too drunk to remember saying yes to James. James was enjoying the game so far and it kept him on track. That was what was important to me.

She wore gloves to hide the bruises on her wrists, but it was cold out and nobody really noticed unless we were inside. I wore gloves most of the time too, so it helped make them more acceptable. She wasn't even really sure how the bruises got there, but she knew what the rope burns were. She assumed she'd let him tie her up when she was too drunk to notice or care, only the marks didn't get better, and now she was convinced it had happened more than once.

There were bruises and marks on other parts of her body too. There was no way to cover up or hide the soreness between her legs and she knew it had happened again when she woke up naked in the morning and found the stains on her sheets. She spent a lot of time in the shower, but she couldn't wash away the dirty feeling that went deeper than what soap and hot water and any amount of scrubbing could ever wash away.

She'd never really gotten that drunk yet, though. She wasn't really that experienced with alcohol, and I was making her think she got drunk enough to pass out, but it would have affected her performance too much and then she would have been useless to all of us.

I was sitting in the restaurant lounge smoking a cigarette when Courtney walked in. She considered avoiding me and sitting at another table but she knew it wasn't a good idea to snub me like that and walked over and sat down.

"Good morning, Courtney. Did you sleep well?" I asked.

She started at me incredulously. She had no recollection of the events of the evening after she'd entered her room last night, but she'd woken up this morning naked to the obvious signs of having had sex with someone again last night. She only remembered vague snippets of memory of what she thought were nightmarish erotic dreams.

She'd spent a long time in the shower again this morning, but just couldn't feel clean. Then she'd taken her pill and gotten dressed.

"No, I didn't..." She replied. She ordered coffee when the waitress walked by, and drank it black. Her hands shook as she fished a cigarette out of her purse and lit it. She hadn't smoked a week ago when we met her, but she'd quickly picked up the habit since she'd been attached to my team.

"That's too bad. You look stressed. Are you holding up ok? Is the workload too much for you?"

She shook her head no.

"I can have you reassigned if you like and get the general to assign somebody else to this detail…"

"I'm fine. I'll deal with it. I'm in this deep, I can stick it out. Like you said, I'm in for the long haul."

"Ok, just so you know, this is going to get a lot messier before it gets better. There are parts of the job that you're going to have to learn to accept and deal with."

"Ok, is this the part where I'm supposed to ask, 'what sorts of things, Victoria'?"

"Yes, it is."

"So why don't you just get it over with and tell me."

"There's a reason why our division is top secret and classified need to know…"

"You mean besides the fact that you assassinate seventeen year old girls and their mothers?"

I ignored her comment and let it roll off. She still had a sense of morality and compassion. It was my job to strip that away if she was going to survive this and be useful to us here in the future.

"A lot of the work we do is considered black ops. We operate outside the law and our mandate allows us to violate the civil rights of suspects and detainees that fall under the prevue of our division's authority. We don't answer to civilian civil authority or even the military for that matter. We're authorized to do whatever is necessary do defend national security."

"Ok…" _I suppose that kind of goes hand in hand with assassinating seventeen year old girls and their mothers..._

She didn't say it out loud again, but she knew I could read her mind. She knew I'd hear it.

"There are things we might have to do that you might take exception to. We'll do whatever needs to be done to get the job done. And I do mean anything."

"Ok, what's our next step then?"

We've been sitting on stakeouts long enough. We have a list of names, now we need to start determining the relationships between those names and get the names of their other associates that we've missed or who have hidden powers. This goes deeper than what we can see sitting on the sidelines watching. We need to verify what powers the names on the list have. We need to get a better idea of the mix of power sets here for our threat assessment."

"Ok."

"If we get lucky, maybe some of them have crossed paths with Dwyer."

"Alright, so we interview some of them. Should I call the Police or the FBI and supply a list of names for them to bring them in for questioning…?"

"We don't want to disrupt the community that much and the Police or FBI would be too squeamish about the methods we might have to employ. We'll conduct the interrogations in the field."

"You mean where there are no witnesses."

"I knew you were intelligent, Courtney. Do you know what a wet work team is?"

"I have a pretty good idea. You call it wet work because of the blood on your hands. That's who you send to assassinate seventeen year old girls and their mothers."

"Yes. We also eliminate potential threats to national security that we run across in the field."

"So you're not just going to interrogate these people, you're going to question them and then kill them…"

"Just the potential threats…"

"How many are potential threats? All of them?"

"No. Some of them are useful as long as they play along. Not every mutant is a threat to life on this planet. Some of them are very useful at providing information and intelligence. Besides, if we started killing every mutant or enhanced human we questioned, we'd stir up the community too much and start a civil war. There are too many to simply eliminate all of them."

Courtney just nodded and chained a second cigarette off the first before she stubbed the butt out in the ashtray. She sat silently contemplating what we'd discussed while we waited for James and Laurent to join us. She was running scenarios through her mind, trying to decide how bad it could get.

She was woefully naïve.

Truth be told, there was no workload to speak of yet. Most of our days were spent on stakeouts and sweeps to follow up leads hunting down enhanced humans and mutants James identified them for us and a few I picked out from their thoughts. We were hoping Dwyer might have crossed paths with the slowly developing mutant underground so it paid to track the extent of the underground movement.

All we needed was one person who'd talked to her or helped her and we could start tracking her down, but so far we hadn't actually detained or questioned any suspects. We were trying to get an idea of the size and scope of the sub-culture here before we stepped in and disrupted it. They wouldn't figure it out immediately, but once they knew we were here, they'd all try to scuttle away like cockroaches exposed to the light.

In the meantime, I let Courtney collate data and follow up with the FBI and local police on background checks of the people we suspected of being enhanced humans or mutants from identity information I'd picked out of their minds.

When the time came I'd let her type up the incident reports of our suspect interviews and interrogations once there were any, she could keep notes on the interrogations to type up and record pertinent details of identification for the tagging process. Even that wasn't going to take hours out of her day to accomplish, though.

Right now, she was being paid to watch and listen. Mostly I needed her to keep James in line, but she never remembered that part, at least not consciously. She didn't remember our nightly conversations about her importance to the team when I went to untie her after James was through with her, but I knew she was retaining enough of what was going on to have nightmares for the rest of her life.

Perhaps I was an evil person now. I could still distinguish between right and wrong or good and evil, but the ability to care if they mattered had been removed from my psyche as part of my conditioning. I could rationalize and look at the situation objectively. To my way of thinking now, one girl with horrible experiences and a lifetime of nightmares was a small price to pay compared to having to dispose of half a dozen corpses of girls who weren't going to have to worry about nightmares anymore.

Of course the rational mind would argue, simply get rid of James and nobody had to deal with nightmares or die.

That wasn't an option.

I needed him too much. He was necessary to the success of the mission, and the mission came first above all else. If feeding him little girls to keep him functioning at optimal levels was what it took, then it was a price I was willing to pay.

Blazing through a convenience store with automatic weapons and civilian casualties as collateral damage was a price I was willing to pay. Forty-eight agents sacrificed as cannon fodder so we could get that one shot to turn Dwyer off like a switch was a price I was willing to pay.

I'd told the general that I'd nuke her if I had to. I told him I'd call in an air strike or a fuel-air bomb, but the truth was I needed her body mostly intact. I told them that I needed a confirmed kill, and that I needed to return her corpse to Langley for DNA confirmation that the threat was eliminated. I knew that was a lie, but I was the only one on the team that knew the truth.

Dead didn't matter.

I could put a bullet through her brain to take her down, but once my superiors had her, she'd end up like me. They could repair the physical damage and reanimate her body to make her live again. They'd rip out her soul and edit out the bits they didn't need, reshape her into a convert and true believer, and then they'd have the ultimate weapon at their disposal to do their bidding.

They were building an army to rule a world. A few little girls dumped in the sound, or one pretty Lieutenant with nightmares for the rest of her life meant nothing to them.

Billions would die in the war that would reshape our world. A few collateral damage casualties right now was nothing. It was a small price to pay to acquire the weapons that would decide the fate of the planet.

James and Laurent came downstairs together. They joined us at the table.

"Good morning," James said. He leaned across to kiss Courtney on the cheek, but she shied away from his advance, ducking away and avoiding him.

"James, be nice," I said.

He didn't need to keep after her and antagonize her during the day. What he did at night was bad enough. For her part, she was attracted to him, but she knew something weird was going on. She knew she was probably sleeping with him, but she didn't remember any of the times they'd been together, and it was driving her crazy that she was apparently having an affair with him, but didn't remember any of the times they'd been together.

James shrugged with a smirk on his face but let her be. "Have you ordered breakfast yet?" He asked.

"No," I replied. "I was waiting for you to come down. Call the waitress over and we can order if you like, or we can just have the buffet."

The hotel restaurant offered a pretty good breakfast spread. You could order ala carte off the menu or there was a breakfast buffet with scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, and yogurt, oatmeal and toast, muffins and fresh fruit. They offered all the fixings and condiments along with a choice of juice and coffees.

We ended up getting the buffet. It was easier, and we were the only ones left in the restaurant. All of the businessmen who were staying here had already left for the day.

"What's on the agenda for today, Victoria," James asked once we were seated again with our plates.

Courtney had taken token portions, but she was just pushing her food around and wasn't really eating. I could let it go for a while, but if she kept it up, I'd have to step in and do something about her appetite. It wouldn't do us any good if she got sick. The doctors at the base would realize what was going on as soon as they saw her, and that would cause more problems I'd have to deal with.

"We're moving to phase two of the threat analysis. We'll start interrogating subjects today and start to determine the local power mix to develop a better sense of the local underground sub-culture. We can start tagging identified enhanced humans and mutants.

"You'll need to pay careful attention to the tagging process, Courtney. You'll continue the process after we leave. Identifying and cataloging members of the local mutant community will be your primary focus once the initial mission is completed. We'll get you started, but it'll be an ongoing endeavor that may take years to complete."

"Tagging? These are human beings. They're people, not animals like a bear or a wolf or livestock you want to track for a biology experiment. What, do you implant them with a chip or something? That's a violation of their civil rights if you do it against their will…"

"Technically, if they're enhanced humans or mutants, they're no longer genetically human. They don't have any civil rights. The constitution and civil law no longer apply to them. We can do whatever we want to them and there's nobody to tell us different. They don't even have as many rights as a stray dog or cat because no laws have been written that encompass the possibility of their existence."

"That's splitting hairs and something for the lawyers to decide, but if they look human and think and speak and act human, then they're human in my book…"

"Well, luckily we're not using your book. Our superiors in the highest levels of government beg to differ and they want them tagged, registered and accounted for. It's a condition of their continued freedom and allowing them to walk around free on the streets and live among us."

"Are you tagged?"

"No, that would be counterproductive to our mission goals. We require freedom of movement without the possibility of being tracked like that."

"Ok, tell me about how this tagging works. If you chip them, can't they just cut it out to drop off the grid again?"

"Not these tags. We'll tag all the enhanced humans and mutants we question, unless of course we're forced to terminate any. The tags are an electronic tracer chips like Vets used to tag dogs and cats and livestock, only ours are a lot more high tech. Instead of injecting them under the skin, they're a deep intramuscular implant applied by injection through a large muscle mass. Then the implants are programmed to attach themselves to the bone.

"Typically we inject them into the buttock or thigh and they attach to the pelvis or femur. The only way to remove them is by dangerous highly invasive surgery through a large muscle mass. Generally, removal is a permanently debilitating procedure, unless the mutant in question has access to a highly skilled surgeon in a large hospital or is willing to cut off their own leg.

"The tracer chips can be tracked by satellite to give a general idea of the position of the chip within a half mile radius of its position. A GPS chip is more accurate, but it's bigger and requires a separate power source. The tracer chips are powered by the body they're injected into, but the muscle mass surrounding them make the signal harder to track. A hand scanner can be used in the field to track down a particular chip and each chip contains the ID of the mutant in question and pertinent data about their ID and powers."

"That has to be a violation of their human rights. You're tracking them like criminals for doing nothing but existing."

I shrugged "That's the way it works until the Congress and the Supreme Court say otherwise. Luckily for you and me, this is all still top secret so we can do whatever we like until then. It'll be years, maybe decades before this even goes public, and then more years until there's enough momentum to force any kind of change.

"Look at gay rights and how long that's taken before those people are even as accepting as they are now."

"This is nothing like the gay rights movement..."

"It's a small segment of the population that's different from main stream society and their difference isn't widely accepted as natural."

"It's still not a fair comparison..."

"Then take slavery and the civil rights movement. Slavery was officially abolished during the Civil War in the eighteen sixties. There were African Americans still living in virtual slavery until the nineteen forties. The civil rights movement didn't start to make real changes until the nineteen sixties. This is the first decade of the twenty-first century and there's still prejudice and discrimination. That's a hundred and forty years, and African American's are human.

"How do you think the public at large will react to finding out there are people out there that can read minds or have special abilities that give them a real tangible difference and that a lot of them have an advantage over everyone else? Suddenly all men aren't created equal anymore. Suddenly some of them really are different and special, maybe special enough to be dangerous. What kind of uproar do you think that will cause?"

"Ok... So you might have a point. You're part of that minority."

"I'm part of the minority making the rules and enforcing them. Call me a sell out, but I picked a side."

That wasn't exactly true, but Courtney didn't know that.

"Fine, enough history lessons," James said. "Where do we start our sweep? I'm getting anxious to get this party started. I want to get my hands on that little bitch and end this. I can't track her until I pick up her trail."

"We'll start in The Jungle and start questioning and tagging enhanced humans and mutants. That'll stir up the community, and then we can sweep some of the other neighborhoods after they get wise to us and make a run for it. After that we'll move out into the outlying communities, widening our search until we get a lead on Dwyer."

James nodded and finished his breakfast so we could leave.

The Jungle was a greenbelt that ran along the western slope of Beacon Hill in Seattle that was known for its homeless encampments and crime. It started on the steep northern slope of Beacon Hill near the south-end of Downtown Seattle, and was bound by Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 90 to the north. The thin tract of land was about a hundred acres and extended south to the Georgetown neighborhood, and was primarily managed by the city and state departments of transportation.

The wooded area was thick with blackberry brambles and vines growing among maple and other trees in the urban forest.. It could be accessed through Rizal Park, highway maintenance roads, or residential areas on Beacon Hill.

Homeless people may have used the area as early as the 1930s. It gained notoriety in the 1990s when the city began razing the encampments. In 1994, about fifty campsites yielded a hundred and twenty tons of trash. Periodic bulldozing since the nineties by the city or state department of transportation had led the homeless to complain that the city provided little to no warning before enacting cleanups.

The Jungle increasingly became a haven for criminals in the 2000s. Criminal activity included assaults, rapes, prostitution, and murders. Residences in the Beacon Hill neighborhood had been burglarized by those staying in The Jungle. Gang members basing drug trade in the woods also became a concern.

The Jungle was generally considered unsafe at any hour of the day or night. Weapons, used drug paraphernalia, presumably stolen goods, and human feces were typically seen during the city and state sweeps.

We dressed appropriately for the occasion. It was the first time I'd let Courtney wear pants since I'd shanghaied her into joining the team. It was a little like the secret service goes hiking with khakis, black t-shirts, combat hiking boots, long black duster style trench coats and dark glasses. We had the requisite radios with the ear plugs and lapel mikes, but Laurent didn't speak regardless, and I could keep tabs on everyone as far apart as we were to relay communications as necessary.

We entered the Jungle from Rizal Park and spread out to start our sweep. James took the lead while Courtney and I spread out to take up flanking positions and Laurent followed James in the center. James had a priority list of targets we'd identified that we wanted to detain for questioning. He'd let us know if he picked up the track of one of the suspects and move in to apprehend the suspect. Laurent would assist by shutting down their power to allow us to take them into custody, but only after we'd determined what their ability was.

We assumed that most of the suspects would attempt to use their power to get away, depending on what they could do. Failing that, we'd have to determine their ability during the questioning. We'd give them an opportunity to answer questions. If they refused, then we'd have to distract them and disrupt their thought process. The questioning was simple, brutal and effective. We'd still ask the questions, but I'd pick the answers out of their head while they were distracted and had more immediate concerns than formulating lies. James liked it when they refused to cooperate.

"_Coming up on the first homeless encampment_," James said. I heard it in my head and echoed over the radio earplug. "_Nothing yet, they haven't noticed me. No signs of weapons. You should be fine if you skirt the camp and give it a wide berth._"

James could move silently and stealthily through the wooded area. He could stalk animals and sneak up on them close enough to hunt bare handed with his skills and abilities. The rest of us on the other hand would be obvious moving through the rough hilly wooded terrain. That's why James was well out in front of us and we were bringing up the rear.

We continued our sweep south, passing more homeless camps. We were approaching one of the accesses into the Beacon Hill neighborhood. The area at the end of one of the streets was improved into a community park backing onto the larger wooded area of the jungle.

"_Got a track_," James reported. "_Female, Caucasian, under twenty... She's on the list. Shifter... Jennifer Louis. She's a low priority for questioning, minimal threat, no offensive powers. Your call boss lady._"

"_Move in and detain her for questioning. We'll start small and work our way up. She's a low priority because her power is mostly benign, but she'll have connections and can give us more names. She associates with a large percentage of the existing list of suspects._"

"_Rodger, moving in..._" James replied.

We picked up the pace to move in and cut off her possible routes of escape.

"_She's made me. She's rabbiting. Courtney, cut her off. She's going to try and cut through the park..._"

We were all running now, closing in to cut her off. James was chasing her to drive her towards Courtney. She had to be fast to stay ahead of him.

"_Freeze! Federal Agents! Get down on the ground!_" Courtney ordered.

I winced a little at her declaration. Normally we tried to avoid that sort of thing, but it would be ok. She was new and this was her first time.

I came running out of the trees into the park. Courtney had her pistol drawn in a combat grip and pointed at the girl. The girl, Louis, reminded me of Dwyer. She was eighteen or nineteen, thin with a petite build. Shoulder length brown hair. She was wearing a t-shit and hooded pullover sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers.

She was breathing hard from running. She'd stopped running, but she hadn't complied with the order to get down on the ground yet and seemed confused. She'd stopped when confronted with Courtney's pistol and her identifying herself as a federal agent but she was still looking for a way to get away and escape.

I could see why she was confused. She'd assumed that James was one of the other denizens of the jungle chasing her to rob her or worse. She still would have run if she'd thought he was a cop. She survived by petty theft and using her ability to scam shop owners into selling her things for bogus money she shifted. A few of them were on to her, and she was going to have to move on soon or find new people to scam.

The girl made the decision to run and prayed Courtney wouldn't shoot her or that she'd miss.

I knew Courtney wasn't going to shoot. She was hoping the gun would intimidate the girl enough to make her surrender, but she wasn't prepared to use deadly force when she knew the girl hadn't committed any crime more serious than existing.

It was a moot point.

Suddenly James came barreling out of the trees, tackling the girl to the ground and pinning her down. He twisted her arm behind her back and had her handcuffed before Courtney could blink.

I realized what James had done. He'd been hanging back to drive the girl toward Courtney like a hound driving prey to the hunter. He wanted to see what she'd do. It was his form of a test. He'd taken the girl down himself, once he knew she wasn't going to shoot.

I quickly scanned the area. We were screened from the adjacent street by trees. There were no witnesses yet, but we were in a public place. There were swing sets and a slide in the playground of the small park.

There was a small building beside the playground. I could see a drinking fountain and knew it was a public restroom.

"James, get her out of sight," I said, nodding toward the small brick structure. "Laurent, you've got lookout duty." He nodded.

We didn't really need a lookout. I'd know if we were going to be disturbed, but he didn't like being a part of what was to come, so I let him stay out of it until I needed him.

I walked up to Courtney as she was stuffing the pistol back into her holster under her coat.

"Don't pull that thing out again unless you're ready to use it."

"I was ready to use it..."

"No you weren't. I know you weren't going to shoot. James tackled her because he knew you weren't going to shoot, and the perp was going to rabbit again because she knew you weren't going to shoot. That's a pistol, not a magic wand. It's a tool and It's not dangerous all by itself. It becomes dangerous because the person with their finger on the trigger makes it a weapon, not a fancy paperweight.

"Don't wave it around hoping it'll scare and intimidate the target into complying. Don't aim it at anyone you don't intend to shoot and it doesn't clear your holster again unless you're ready and willing to pull that trigger. Am I clear?"

"Yes Ma'am, crystal clear."

"Good, now get your note pad out. I'll ask the questions and relay the answers to you. They may not all be verbal, depending on what we learn and how I acquire the information. Note it all down, and you can type up the incident report later when we get back to the hotel."

"Yes Ma'am."

"And Courtney… This could get a little intense. Remember when I told you that there are parts of the job that you're going to have to learn to accept and deal with, and that there were things we might have to do that you might take exception to. This is quite likely one of those times, so suck it up and deal with it, or ask for reassignment when we're done here."

"Yes Ma'am."

"I'll expect you to remain silent and keep your opinions to yourself unless you have something constructive to add to the interrogation. I expect you to do your duty and follow your orders. Do you understand, Lieutenant Scott?"

"Yes Ma'am."

I nodded and she followed me inside the public restroom. She knew this was going to get bad, but she was steeling herself to comply with my orders. I doubted she give us too much trouble.

James had the girl on her knees in front of the sink in the public toilet. It was a fairly large room with a separate toilet stall big enough for wheelchair access, a urinal on the wall, and a stainless steel sink with exposed plumbing beneath. It was relatively clean and well maintained, and there was surprisingly little graffiti.

The girl was kneeling with her hands cuffed behind her, lightly whimpering as she tried to figure a way out of this situation.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck… What the fuck am I going to do…? They said they're feds… I thought they were part of Gabe's crew… _

"Jennifer Louis, I need to ask you some questions…" I began.

_Fuck… They know who I am… How… I haven't used that name here…_ "Who are you? What do you want? I haven't done anything…"

"I'll ask the questions here. Have you seen this girl?" I produced the picture of Isabella Dwyer and held it in front of her face.

_Who the fuck is she…? What the fuck do they want with her…? She looks a little like me… Did they grab me because I look like her…?_

"I've never seen her in my life. Can I go now? I didn't do anything…"

I put the picture away. She didn't know anything about Dwyer. She hadn't seen her. There was still other information she could provide.

"I know you've been shifting, trading paper to scam local merchants. That counts as counterfeiting and is a federal crime. We could put you away for twenty years for that."

_Fuck…! They know about me… They're Feds… Holy fucking shit…! They're Division…!__ Fuck, fuck, fuck… __ I'm fucking toast… Tony's gonna want to know about this…_

"Yes, tell me about your friend Tony. Why is this important to him?"

"I didn't say anything… I don't have to answer any questions. I want a lawyer and my phone call. I know my rights! You got nothing on me. There's no evidence…"

_Fuck… They're Division… She's a fucking reader…! She's in my head… Tony said don't try to not think about stuff, you just think about it that way. Think about something else… Sing a song…_

"We aren't the police, Ms. Louis. You don't have any rights. This isn't happening and nobody will ever know we questioned you. Now we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."

"Fuck you! I'm not answering any questions!"

She was blocking me now, once she'd realized how I was getting my answers. I was going to have to let her know that wasn't going to work.

"James, get her attention. She's resisting and trying to block me."

James hauled his arm back and slapped her across the face with his open hand, knocking her to the ground and leaving an angry red welt on the side of her face. Blood was trickling out of the corner of her mouth where her teeth had cut the inside of her cheek. She was crying now and tears streamed down her cheeks as he reached for her and rudely dragged her back up onto her knees.

Courtney bristled when James hit the girl, but stood her ground and stoically continued to take notes on her note pad. She knew that if nothing else, her accurate account of the events could be used as evidence in court or at a court martial. She hoped the evidence would be used against James if charges were filed against him.

She was distressingly naïve if she thought anyone but us would ever find out about what happened here today.

"Let's try this again now, Jenny. I can call you Jenny, right?"

"Please let me go… I haven't done anything to you…" She pleaded through her tears.

"I know, sweetheart, but I need information, and you know so much that you can help us with. Tell me about Tony. Who is Gabe, and why would his crew be chasing you. Who else do you know that have powers like you and your friends? Just let it out and let me know everything you know, and this will all go away. You won't even remember talking to us. You can leave and go back to your friends. All you have to do is cooperate."

"No… I'm not a rat…" _They're Division… They're here to hunt us… They'll do this to the rest too… I can't let them down…_

I got brief flashes of insight as I said each name, but her mind shied away from thinking about them. There were flashes of other people she knew and hints of what they could do. Then she was back to singing some stupid pop song in her head and focusing on the words so she wouldn't think about her friends and enemies and what their powers were.

"Are you really going to make me do this, Jenny? Don't force me to do this the hard way. You aren't going to like this, but I'm going to get the answers I want one way or another."

"Fuck you…" _I'm dead… I'm so fucking dead… I can't answer her questions if I'm dead…_

"No, Jenny, you'll just wish you were dead. Distract her James, and I'll dig the answers out while she's preoccupied."

"I love it when they resist," James said with a smirk. "How loud can you scream, sweet thing?"

He reached for her, dragging her wrists up and opening one side of the handcuffs. Then he passed the handcuffs around the plumbing under the sink and snapped it back around her wrist.

"What… What the fuck are you doing?!" Jenny screamed in a panic.

_Fuck no…! Jesus fucking god…! Just kill me…! Not this…! Just kill me…! No…!_

James dragged her hips away from the sink so her arms were stretched over her head. She screamed when he reached for her pants, yanking open the snap and working them down off of her ass. He grabbed the waist band and her underwear all at once and started yanking them down her legs, keeping tension on her wrists to make it harder for her to fight.

Courtney stepped away from the wall, intent on intervening as she reached for her pistol. She had every intention of using it this time. "No…!" She yelled, startled and shocked by what was happening in front of her.

I turned and stopped her in her tracks with a look. _Stand your ground, __Lieutenant Scott... _I projected into her mind_ Take one more step and I'll have you brought up on charges of insubordination and refusing the direct order of your Superior Officer._

I exerted enough pressure to force her to comply. She stared at me with a look of pure hatred, and then stepped back and resumed taking notes.

James had the girl's pants off and she was naked from the waist down when I turned back to look. He'd pulled off her shoes and her pants and underwear were tossed aside as he opened his pants and pushed them down to his knees.

_No…! I'll answer your questions…! Please…! Stop him…! Stop it… Jesus god… Make him stop…"_

She was still screaming and fighting him as much as she could with her hands chained to the pipe and her arms stretched over her head. She kicked at James, but he caught her leg, gripping her ankle, and then reached for the other leg.

_You had your chance. Now we do it the hard way._ I projected at her.

"Please…!" Jenny begged. "Stop this…! I'll answer your questions…!"

James yanked her legs open, pushing between her thighs. He reached between them, grasping his cock and rubbing it between her legs.

"God no…! Please…! Stop him…! Noooo!" Jenny gave a blood curdling scream as he violated her.

James grunted with satisfaction as his hands pushed under her shirt to maul her tits while she thrashed and screamed, but it was pointless to try and fight him now.

"Who's Tony?" I asked again. Images flooded her mind in response to my question. Any attempts at blocking me had stopped in her panic and shock at the violation of her person and her mind was an open book to me. I relayed the information to Courtney and her pen flew over the paper as she recorded the information.

James grunted as he had his way with her, taking her slowly and savoring the experience as she thrashed under him.

It went on and on until she stopped fighting back and simply prayed for it to end. He'd stifled her screams when he forced her to kiss him. She'd tried to bite at first, but had learned the hard way not to fight back. Her eye was already starting to swell, but I was pretty sure there wouldn't be any permanent damage.

She'd mostly stopped screaming now as she whimpered and moaned and waited for it to end.

I fired question after question at her to trigger her responses and the information continued to flow out of her mind. She wasn't trying to block me at all anymore. If anything she was trying to offer as much detail as possible in hopes that it would make this end faster.

One name led to another and a web of associations formed. Readers, screamers, shifters, pushers, shadows, movers, shields, bricks, sniffs, trackers, dodgers, they were all part of the local sub-culture and it was a lot more extensive than we'd thought it was. She wasn't aware of any burners, watchers or jumpers on the local scene in Seattle, but that made sense.

They were all on our priority watch list. Burners were rare and dangerous, like Dwyer. Watchers were even harder to track because they could see you coming, and even working with a shadow, it was only a matter of time before they saw you coming and avoided being where you were going to be. Jumpers could run from you too easily and it took special high tech equipment to track them and hunt them. Luckily they were pretty rare too.

James grunted loud one last time and his hips flexed forward as he finished. He panted against her neck as he climaxed and spent himself.

His hips pumped a couple more times, and then he turned his head to look up at me. He had an evil satisfied grin on his face. "You get what you needed, Vic? I can go again if you need more time…"

"No…" Jenny moaned in a horrified whimper.

"We're done here, Get off of her." I told him.

James nodded, and the leaned down and kissed jenny on the cheek. "You're one sweet little piece of ass, Sweetheart." Then he pulled out and got off of her.

Jenny tried to roll into a ball on her side, but it was difficult with her hands chained to the sink. James reached for her underwear and used her panties to wipe himself before he tossed them at her and stood up and fixed his pants.

"Go get Laurent," I told James. "I need him now. You keep watch until we're finished here."

"Sure thing, Vic," James said and swaggered out of the bathroom to get Laurent.

Courtney still hadn't said anything. She was partly in shock, but her mind was working furiously, putting the pieces together. She was staring at Jenny lying there moaning and whimpering on the ground. She was studying the bruises on her wrists where she'd fought the restraining handcuffs while trying to get free. She could see the blood tinged semen trickling down the crack of her ass to pool beneath her as she squeezed her legs together.

The door opened and Laurent walked into the room. He looked at the girl lying on the floor and then looked at me, disapproval apparent on his face, like usual.

"Tag her, and then wipe her memory until before we started chasing her. Courtney should have all the pertinent information in her notes."

Laurent nodded, and then reached under his coat for the tagging gun. He reached into his pocket and handed Courtney the touch pad to program in the data for the chip. The touch pad was about the size of a PDA, like a palm pilot. The program was intuitive and didn't require any instruction. It was mainly identification information. I'd projected most of the information directly into her mind and she could answer all the questions, even if she hadn't written them down in her notes.

Courtney typed in all the required information, and then handed the PDA back to Laurent. He plugged it into the gun and downloaded the information into the chip, and then returned the PDA to his pocket.

Laurent approached the girl, and squatted down beside her.

She screamed again when he touched her.

"Be still, child, I'm not here to torment you further," Laurent said in his soft island accent with hints of French overtones. "This will be over quick, and then nobody else will hurt you…"

Jenny struggled briefly, whimpering and trying to stretch away from him, but she went still under his touch. She wouldn't look at him and had her eyes pinched tightly shut. He slipped the sheath off the needle and it looked massive. The chip was about the size of a grain of rice, and he had to penetrate a large muscle mass to deposit it next to the bone. It would migrate to the bone on its own and imbed itself in the skeletal structure.

Laurent stabbed the needle into her buttock, plunging it in until it hit the bone, and then pulled the trigger to inject the chip. I wasn't surprised that she didn't scream, but Laurent had that ability to soothe and cause her to become docile under his touch. He pulled out the needle, covered it, and returned the tagging gun to the holster under his coat.

He removed a key from his pocket and opened the handcuffs, releasing her hands.

"Get you clothes, girl, and put you pants back on," He said to her.

She scuttled away when her hands were free and grabbed her jeans and pulled them back on. She didn't bother with her panties, but they were sticky with James cum from when he'd wiped himself. She quickly pulled on her sneakers, and then moved as far away as possible to cower in the corner of the room.

She didn't scream or flinch when he approached her. He reached out and placed his hand on her forehead, his thumb and fingertips resting on her temples. She appeared to slump and fall into a deep sleep. Then he turned and looked at me. He wanted to know if we were leaving her here or moving her someplace else. She'd sleep for at least an hour, unless something else woke her up first.

"Take her into the park and put her on the bench of one of the picnic tables. She'll be safer there than she will be in here. Her friends come to this park. They'll find her, unless we find them first."

Laurent picked up the girl and Courtney opened the door for him to carry her out of the bathroom. Then she rounded on me.

"Those marks on her wrists are the same as the marks on my wrists!"

"No, yours are rope burns." I replied.

"How much will she remember?!"

"She'll know she had sex, but she won't remember with whom. Everything that happened here this afternoon is gone from her memory. It isn't covered up or buried, the memories are erased. She'll probably relive it in her nightmares though, but she won't consciously remember any of this."

Courtney lurched across the room, staggering to crouch in front of the toilet and vomited. Her legs were weak and she collapsed to her knees in front of the bowl and threw up again, retching into the toilet until dry heaves wracked her body. She finally caught her breath and panted for a minute before wiping her mouth on her glove on the back of her hand, and then turned back to me.

"You know what's been going on!"

"I gave him the key to your room."

"You fucking bitch! I didn't get drunk and agree to sleep with James! I didn't get so drunk that I forgot what happened! He raped me, and you knew it! You made Laurent erase my memory when he was done fucking me!"

"I knew you were intelligent enough to figure it out. It was pretty obvious after what happened here this afternoon."

"You let him rape me?! Why?!"

"Because it makes him more effective in the field and allows me to control him more easily."

"You sick twisted fucking bitch! How long has this been going on?!"

"Every night we've spent in the field since we got here."

"That's why I went to the dispensary and got on the pill! You made me, didn't you? I wasn't on the pill the first time! It takes time to be effective. I could be pregnant by that bastard!"

"I made you take a morning after pill after the first time. It prevents pregnancy from unprotected sex and makes you safe for ten days after. That's long enough for the pill to become effective."

"This isn't the first time we've had this conversation…"

"No, we usually have to rehash all of this every night when I come in to untie you. Then Laurent erases your memory and we start all over again."

"Why do you make him erase my memory?"

"Well, most girls don't like getting raped. Besides, I've asked you every night if you want to remember or forget, and you keep telling me to have him wipe it from your memory."

"What about today? Are you going to make him erase my memory again?"

"That's up to you. It's your choice. It always has been. You can keep your memories if you want to. Unfortunately, if you choose to remember, he's likely to become more physically violent the next time he come to your room."

"I'm not going to let him rape me again! I'm not having sex with him again at all!"

I sighed. "We've been through all of this before, Courtney... You know we're going to be in Washington until we find Isabella Dwyer. We could be here for months, maybe longer. You're attached to our team for the duration. Now you know what your job is on the team. It's not going to stop. I'm sorry it has to be like this... At least it's easier now that you're broken in..."

"How can you do this to me?" Courtney asked. "How can you live like this? That bastard is a monster! You let him get away with this shit? He's a fucking rapist! You should be hunting him down to kill him, not some girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"It's my job. I'm his handler and I do whatever is necessary to accomplish my mission."

"Part of your mission is letting that bastard rape innocent little girls, letting him rape me?! You use him like a tool to get what you want!"

"Yes. He's a very effective tool and I do whatever it takes to get the job done. At least we're talking about it and I'm not figuring out where to dump the bodies."

"Jesus Christ!"

I shrugged. "He's smart enough to realize we couldn't kill Jenny. We need her alive to go back to her friends so they don't get suspicious that we're here yet."

"Won't they be suspicious when they figure out what happened to her?"

"How many people did you tell about what happened to you? She's not going to go running back to her friends to complain that she had sex with somebody this afternoon, but she doesn't know who. She'll be too embarrassed that they'll think she's some kind of slut or whore. She'll keep it to herself, and say one of their enemies mugged her and beat her up. She won't tell anyone she thinks she was raped too if she doesn't remember any of the details."

"Fine, so the bastard wanted to kill me?"

I shrugged again. "It's part of the power trip for him when he rapes someone. I have too much time and effort invested in you, and we made a deal. He promised not to kill you, so it's a win-win situation. James gets to rape you, I don't have to make you disappear and cover up your death, and you get your promotion. I promised you combat hazard pay for this assignment. It'll be on your check."

"I'm not a fucking prostitute! I don't want more money to make it ok for him to rape me! I wasn't expecting to have to fuck somebody to get a promotion..."

"We've had this same conversation almost every night for a week now, Courtney. You're a woman. You were going to get fucked sooner or later anyhow. At least you didn't have to fuck your boss for the job and a shot at getting promoted."

"You sick twisted fucking bitch! I'll shoot the bastard if he tries to touch me again!"

"I'll let you get away with that because it's true and you're upset with good reason, but if you call me that again, I'll have to take disciplinary action. He won't come to you tonight. He had Jenny today. If he wants straight sex, he'll come to my room."

"And you'll let him?!"

"He can't rape me, I won't let him. He's not a bad lay when he plays nice. I assume this means you're keeping your memories this time?"

"I can't try and stop him if I don't know what's going on."

"You won't stop him, and when he comes to you again you'll let him take you again."

"There's no fucking way…!"

"You will, because you like it. He's made you cum every single time he's fucked you, even the first time he raped you when you were still a virgin. You like it rough. I know it, I can see it in your head. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Some girls just get off on that shit."

"I don't... I'm not like that..." Her argument lacked conviction now, though, and she flushed red with embarrassment. She knew it was the truth. She'd been turned on watching James rape Jenny, and had secretly wished it was her on the floor being violated and taken like that. It was something she'd never admit out loud, but we both knew it was true.

"You know you're going to let him in when he comes to your room. We can take turns fucking him so he stays on track. You might have been outraged by what happened here this afternoon, but it's going to keep him out of your bed tonight. Every time we let him off his leash like this, it's a night he isn't going to come to your room to have his way with you again."

"That is so fucking sick… I'm not going to sacrifice other girls to him to keep him off of me!"

"That's not really up to you either. that's just how it works. Now get up and rinse your mouth out in the sink. We need to get out of here before Jenny wakes up or her friends find her. Maybe we can find some of them and question a few more before we call it a day."

_Sick twisted fucking bitch…_

I let it slide because she didn't say it out loud. I couldn't really argue. It was the simple truth.

**Author's note:**

Sorry this is a little late. It's been a busy week and I didn't get this reviewed and ready to post as soon as I thought I would

This chapter is rather intense. It's actually considerably toned down and less graphic than the original version. The bad guys are very bad and there should be a reason to want them dead.

I'm also posting chapter 25 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	11. Wrestling

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 11 Wrestling

Friday evening on the end of that first week of school, Forks hosted the first wrestling tournament to start off the season on December second. The whole school had been on the assembly bell schedule to make time for the pep rally at the end of the day. Our sixth period gym class had been excused from gym to help the cheerleaders setup, and the pep rally had gone off without a hitch. All of the girls on the cheerleading squad were introduced and they did the standup cheer routine they'd been practicing while I stood off to the side with Alice and watched. The boys got introduced to the crowd, and they had to line up in front of the student body as each of the varsity wrestlers were called out by weight class, but I wasn't exactly sure what that meant.

Conner was wrestling at one fifty-two, Edward was wrestling at one sixty, Jasper was wrestling at one seventy, and Emmett had the heavy weight class at two eighty-five. Sara's boyfriend, Dean, wanted to wrestle at the one fifty-two weight class, but had wrestled off with Conner and lost. He'd managed to cut enough weight to claim the one Forty-five Class, but it was a struggle for him to make weight.

The wrestling tournament was just plain long, we had some free time between the end of the pep rally and the start of the tournament, but it would go on until at least eleven o'clock tonight if everything went well. It was held in Forks because it was the Forks Invite, and all the other teams had to travel to come to our school. This was one of the three home events of our season. Our guys would have to travel for every other meet or tournament, besides two other meets we'd host at our school.

The other schools must have gotten out early to travel here. School buses started to arrive around four-thirty, and they started weigh-ins at five o'clock. They were ready to start wrestling by six. There were wrestling squads and cheerleaders there from half a dozen different schools and the gym and cafeteria were crowded with kids and parents and onlookers come to cheer on somebody they knew who was participating in the tournament.

A lot of people from Forks came to the tournament whether or not they even had kids in school for cheap Friday night entertainment. There wasn't a lot to do in Forks, and the community was small enough that most of the people in town knew who the wrestlers were and came to cheer them on, regardless of whether or not they were related to them. The girls and boys basketball teams were both traveling and had away games tonight so a lot of the kids I knew at school were gone.

I was hanging out with Alice to help her coordinate the cheerleaders with Esme, but there wasn't really a lot for us to do. Cheerleading coordinator really meant making sure we had snacks and plenty of bottled water and Gatorade in the cooler. It was mainly a waiting game now as we hung out and waited for things to get rolling. The mats had been lowered to the main gym floor and taped down to the floor. The scoring tables were setup and volunteers were arriving and checking in as more and more teams showed up and started warming up.

Even Charlie had gotten into the act and had volunteered to work at one of the scoring tables. I learned that his job was basically running the control for the electronic scoreboard that would list the running results of the match he was scoring. Another person at the table would record the stats for the mat in an official log book to keep track of who was winning and losing. That might have been an interesting job to volunteer for, but I didn't know enough about wrestling yet to be able to do it.

In fact, I knew next to nothing about wrestling in general and trying to help keep score wasn't going to work when I didn't even know how they scored points. Besides, how was I expected to root for a sport I wasn't at all familiar with and cheer our guys on? Edward had tried to explain it to me, and I figured I'd at least be able to tell when our guys were winning, but I wasn't even sure how to tell if they scored points.

Alice and I were sitting in the bleachers, watching the guys warm up. That wasn't so bad as they sparred and exercised and rolled around on the mats practicing moves and holds. Edward was sparring with Jasper, and he wasn't hard on the eyes as he tried to pin Jasper's shoulders to the mat.

"Umm... Alice, I'm pretty sure they'll point out who the winners are, but how exactly does this sport work?" I asked. I knew she had to know a lot about wrestling in general if her boyfriend and two brothers were on the team so she could probably explain the basics of the sport to me too.

"Ok," Alice asked, "How much do you know about Scholastic Wrestling?"

"Umm… I know the guys look really hot in those tight little leotard things they wear, but those things they have on their heads look kind of weird."

Alice laughed. "What do you and Edward spend all you time together doing? I was sure he would have explained this to you by now."

I knew I was blushing. "Edward and I are just friends, Alice. He helps me with my math homework..."

"Yeah, sure. I totally believe that. Not!"

"Really, Alice, how does this work? I want to be able to tell if Edward is winning or losing..."

"Fine, but don't let them catch you calling their uniform a leotard or they'll get mad. It hurts their egos to have you call it that. The one piece wrestling uniform is called a singlet. They're made from Lycra or nylon spandex so they're snug fitting and don't give the opponent anything to grab onto to gain an advantage. In ancient times, men and boys wrestled naked for the same reason, only there were natural hand holds... That might be kind of hot to watch, but they wouldn't get away with it in this day and age. We've gotten too uptight in the modern world."

I laughed. "That might be fun to watch, but I'd turn three shades of red. Those singlets are as close to naked as I can handle for now. So what about those things they wear on their heads? What are those?"

"They wear the headgear to cover their ears and protect the wrestler from injury. There's the potential to develop cauliflower ear, or get your ears torn off if the other guy can grab them. Its mandatory equipment and they're disqualified if they don't have it or it doesn't work and keeps coming off. They also wear mouth guards to protect their teeth, and those special shoes to give them traction on the mat, but they also have no sharp edges or hard soles to injure the opponent and they protect their toes. Some of the guys wear elbow and knee pads too, but they aren't required."

"Ok. Let me get the most basic question out of the way first, I guess. Who are the wrestling coaches? I haven't seen them at the school before except when they show up for wrestling practice, and I know Esme doesn't work at the school, so they aren't teachers, right?"

"No, they aren't teachers. Coach Clapp teaches gym class, health and hygiene and coaches the football team and the basketball team. Mrs. Newhouse coaches cross country and girls basketball, but she isn't really a teacher either, although she works at the school as the girl's gym coach. The big red headed guy works for your dad. He's Mark Chapman. He's a policeman, but he coaches the wrestling team too. The shorter dark haired guy is Brad Tate. He works for the city utility company. Both of them wrestled in high school and college."

"So if they aren't teachers, how come they can coach sports teams? Esme teaches the Aerobics class too, and that counts for gym."

"They have to go to some classes and coaching seminars to get enough hours of training to get a coaching certificate, and then the school can hire them to coach a sports team. They don't get too much for doing it and it barely covers their expenses from what I've heard. They mostly do it to volunteer to teach the kids about the sport they coach because they grew up playing them and know something about them. Esme is a certified personal trainer. She has a bunch of exercise and training certificates, and a coaching certificate. She also does freelance work as an architect and interior designer plus raising five teenaged kids."

"Wow, she must be busy all the time!" I knew she did even more at the school, with the drama and music departments according to Charlie, and she kept her house absolutely spotless besides. It seemed like an impossible workload, but I'd seen the evidence with my own eyes.

"Yeah, pretty much. So what else do you need to know about wrestling?"

"Ok, so they wrestle one on one in individual matches, right?" Some of the guys' were pairing off to spar and practice as we talked.

Alice nodded "Uh huh."

"So how do they decide who wrestles who? Some of those guys are huge, and some of them are almost as skinny as me. Those big guys would kill those little guys if they got a hold of them."

"They're divided up into different weight classes. They have to weigh in at the beginning of the season and submit their weights to the state wrestling commission. Then they're only allowed to lose so much weight each week of the season and they set the lowest weight class they can compete in based on their certification weight at the beginning of the season."

"Ok… Why is losing weight so important?"

"If they can cut weight and go down a weight class, they can wrestle against smaller opponents and theoretically easier competition. Cutting weight has always been a big part of wrestling. It used to be unsafe, and guys would practically kill themselves to try and cut enough weight to go down several weight classes. There are rules now to govern how much weight they can lose, and they're tested for healthy hydration levels and minimum body fat requirements so they don't hurt themselves."

"Ok, so how do these weight classes work?"

"There are fourteen weight classes from one-oh-six through heavy weight at two-eighty-five. They have to be at that weight or less to qualify to wrestle in a weight class. There are weigh-ins at the beginning of every meet or tournament to certify their weight before they can wrestle. Part way through the season, they get a growth allowance of two pounds. So say they were wrestling in the one-forty-five weight class, they could weigh one-forty-seven and still qualify."

"It seems awful complicated for a little bit of advantage."

"It's all about strategy and who they want to wrestle. A kid who might do ok at one-seventy might go to the State finals if he can cut weight and wrestle at one-sixty."

"Huh, ok, I guess that makes sense. So what if they don't make weight, are they disqualified?"

"No, not necessarily, they just have to wrestle at the weight they qualify for. You can always wrestle up in a heavier class, but you have to make weight to wrestle down. Then on top of that, there's competition on the squad for who's going to represent the school. If more than one guy is in the same weight class, then they wrestle-off in practice to see who gets to claim the weight and wrestle for the school in the meets. The other guys can still wrestle on the JV squad, but the varsity squad all have to make weight and be the top wrestler in the school at that weight.

"If a school doesn't have anyone to fill a weight class, or there's only one kid, and he doesn't make weight, then they'd have an open weight class, and they'd have to forfeit all the matches at that weight. It can be a huge point loser for smaller schools that don't fill all their squad weights. Sometimes they'll have a kid wrestle up, just so they don't have to forfeit a match.

We don't have to worry about that, though. We have a pretty big team, and the guys have to wrestle off to claim most of the spots on our squad."

"Ok… I think I get it. So how do you win?"

"There are three two minute periods in a match. The ultimate way to win is a fall or a pin. Basically they have to tackle the other guy to the mat and hold his shoulder blades down to the mat to pin him. That's an automatic win and ends the match if they get a fall and pin the other guy. Beyond that, they score points for being in control and certain moves.

"A takedown is worth two points. That's when they're circling in the neutral position, and one of the wrestlers takes the other wrestler down to the mat and maintains control by being on top and in bounds.

"An escape is worth one point, and it's just what it sounds like. If they have the wrestler down, and he escapes and gets back to his feet, he gets a point.

"A reversal is worth two points, and it's just what it sounds like, turning the table on the opponent and getting him down so you're in control. After that it gets more complicated with a bunch of rules for near fall points and penalties."

"So unless you pin the other guy, the match goes the distance and you win or lose on points?"

"Most of the time. There's a technical fall, where if you're fifteen points ahead, they'll call the match a technical fall if the lower score guy breaks out of a near fall control."

"Ok, so they have to weigh-in to wrestle in a certain weight class. Three two minute periods, they have to pin the other guy to win or score more points. I think I can pick up the rest by watching what happens. Anything else I need to know."

"Umm… At the start of the meet, they'll flip a colored disk to decide whose home and whose visitor if more than two schools are at a meet. Sometimes there are three or even four schools at a dual. They put a colored band around their ankle at the start of the match, green for home and red for visitor. The referee will wear a green and red wrist band and hold up fingers to indicate points he's awarding for the scoring table to record as he referees the match.

"If they go outside the big circle marked on the mat, the referee will stop the clock and re-start the match in the middle."

"Ok, that's good to know."

"There are six other schools here for the tournament tonight, and all of them are competing in each of the fourteen weight classes, so this is going to take a while. We'll be lucky to get out of here by eleven o'clock tonight."

I nodded, and went with Alice to go see the guys. I didn't have anything else planned tonight, and I would have been hanging out with Alice after school anyhow. When I wasn't at school or home, I was usually with Alice somewhere. Charlie had come to expect it, and it was already something of a tradition. I liked Alice, and we were becoming best friends.

Carlisle had just arrived with Rose, and they had stopped to talk to Edward, Jasper and Emmett before Carlisle went to find Esme. She wouldn't be hard to find. The cheerleaders had claimed several rows in the front of the Forks section in the bleachers to setup camp, and Esme was sitting there with the girls going over their cheers.

Edward reached for my hand when I walked up beside him. He wasn't too sweaty yet, and my stomach gave a little flutter from his show of affection. I liked Edward, and I was kind of looking forward to him asking me out on a date. I was ready to say yes if he asked me, now. I could see myself spending more time with him and getting to know him better. I could see myself fall in love with him. I knew I was a good ways down that path already. The world seemed easier to deal with and I felt at peace when I was surrounded by his family. They all acted like they liked me for the most part although Rose was still kind of cold and Jasper tolerated me but still acted as though he held reservations about me for some reason.

I could see this turning into a long term thing and maybe moving on with them when they decided to leave Forks. They were all planning to go to college together, and I wanted to go to college too. It was part of my long term plan if I lived that long. It seemed logical and inevitable that Edward and I would be a couple if I let things keep going the way they were going.

Of course there was one problem with this perfect picture, a fly in the ointment that gave me doubt. There was a lingering uncertainty that made me hesitate. Was I making a mistake? I could be happy with Edward and the Cullens, but couldn't I be just as happy with Jacob Black? He was friends with Charlie, and they already considered each other family. I knew I had feelings for Jacob too, and if I was completely honest with myself, I knew I could fall in love with Jacob just as easily as I could with Edward.

It would be so easy to be with Edward and have everything I'd ever wanted. I knew I had feelings for Edward that grew stronger the more I spent time with him and the longer I knew him, but I had feelings for Jacob too. I liked Jacob too, but I knew I couldn't love them both… That wasn't quite accurate if I was completely honest with myself. I could easily love them both. I couldn't keep them both and eventually I knew I was going to have to make a decision and tell one of them I couldn't see him anymore.

I noticed Jasper looking in my direction, and I pushed those thoughts away. He gave me a strange look like he could see all of my doubts and fears and the dilemma I faced. I was with Edward now, and I focused on my friendship with him while I was with him. That was the fair thing to do. I knew I was going to have to make a decision soon, but it was so very hard to consider giving up either of them.

Edward was free for a while until he got called for his match. I gathered it would be like that a lot tonight. He'd have free time between matches while the other weight classes wrestled until he'd need to start warming up a couple of matches before he was up. Otherwise he was free to do what he wanted and we could spend some time together until his coach called him.

We went to the concession stand and got something to drink. There was a constant buzz of conversation going on around us, but the other people were intent on their own conversations and didn't pay much attention to us, if any.

"So, are you going to win? I asked

Edward shrugged. "I think I have a pretty fair shot. The kid from Bainbridge is pretty good, but I think I can take him. The guy from Montesano cut enough weight to wrestle down at one-sixty, but this early in the season, he probably should have been in this class to begin with if he was in shape."

"Really, is he any good?"

"He's ranked in the top five in the state. It'll be a tough match."

I nodded, "So, can you take him?"

"I'm in pretty good physical condition, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I won't go down without a fight."

He was in much better than pretty good physical condition from my perspective, but he didn't have any sleeves. The muscles on his broad shoulders were well defined under his slightly glistening skin. It was distracting, watching him sit there in his singlet while we sat and sipped our drinks. I tried not to ogle him, but he knew I was looking and smiled back at me.

"How did you do last year? Did you go to state?"

"I was the state champion in my weight class last year."

"Oh… So, you're pretty good at this wrestling stuff then?"

"I'd like to think so. I can show you sometime if you'd like…"

"Umm… Maybe sometime… I'd totally lose though… You've got like sixty pounds on me…"

Wrestling with Edward sounded like fun. I was sure he'd pin me in an instant, but that was kind of the point and I didn't think I'd mind losing if he was doing the pinning.

"It's not always about winning or losing. I could show you some moves. It would be fun."

"Oh, I'm sure you've got some moves and I'm sure it would probably be fun too."

"Are you done with your pop?" Edward asked.

The plastic bottle was still about half full, but I screwed the top back on. "I'm good for now…"

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure…"

"C'mon," he said, standing up, reaching for my hand and pulling me to my feet.

We walked down the hallway on the opposite side of the gym than I usually used to go to aerobics class. There were more display cases with trophies in them. Edward showed me his state wrestling trophies and cross country running medals.

I hadn't been in this part of the school before, and I was curious what it was used for. There were doors along the wall away from the main auditorium floor that looked like they led to classrooms. I remembered Alice saying they held music and art classes out here, but I didn't have any classes like that.

"These look like classroom, but I don't have any classes in this building, do you?" I asked Edward.

"Not any classes, but I've taken lessons out here. These are the music and band rooms for the most part. The drama department holds rehearsals, classes and meetings out here too. C'mon, I'll show you…"

Edward led me to the end of the hall. He glanced back over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching, but the hallway behind us was deserted. He pushed open a door and led me into the room. It was a little smaller than a regular classroom. There was an upright piano with a bench in front of it and several chairs with music stands in front of them.

"I took piano lessons here, freshman year, but I was already better than the teacher. I've worked independently since then, or with Rose or Esme. Esme volunteers an accompanist for music recitals, choir and other events where they need somebody to play the piano."

"That's cool. So Rose plays the piano too? That's completely unfair."

Edward had a smirk on his face. "Why do you say that's unfair?"

"She's already too perfect to begin with. She gorgeous, she has a great guy she's in love with, a family who loves her, and she talented and plays the piano too? Is there anything she doesn't do perfectly?"

Edward shrugged. "She's a soloist with the choir too."

"Sure, why not. She sings too."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Ms. Swan? You're kind of perfect yourself."

"Me? I don't hold a candle to Rose. I'm not so special…"

"I'm not here with Rose, and I think of her as a sister, besides. She's pretty if blonds are your thing. I prefer incredibly beautiful brunettes. You're funny and intelligent and very very stubborn, which is a good thing because you take your time to make up your mind, but once you make a decision you stick to it."

"That's a good thing, really? I thought I was just too afraid to screw up so I take forever to decide."

"Take as long as you like to decide. You have two families who love you, and you're talented too. Charlie raves about your cooking. I'd love to hear you sing if you want to go out for choir, and it's never too late to learn to play an instrument."

"I tried piano lessons when I was a kid, but we couldn't afford it. I had to stop, and we didn't have our own piano, so I never kept up with it."

"I'd love to work with you whenever you like. I could teach you."

"I don't know… I probably wouldn't be any good, and you already do so much for me, Edward…"

"Nonsense, I'd love to teach you. We can make it fun. There's no sense doing it if it isn't fun."

Edward sat down on the piano bench and patted the seat beside him. "C'mon, sit down."

I sat down beside him and he reached his arm around me so I moved closer. Our hips were touching and then he placed his fingers on the keys.

"How much do you remember from your lessons?" Edward asked.

"Well, I know there are eighty-eight keys. The musical alphabet is C, D, E, F, G, A, B. C is the white key to the left of each group of two black keys, and then the keys repeat."

"Excellent. That's fantastic, Bella. How about the black keys?"

Those are the sharps and flats, right? The black key to the right of C is C sharp or D flat. The black keys are the sharp of the key to the left, or the flat of the key to the right."

"That's right. If you know the keyboard, then the rest is just a matter of practice. Do you remember how to read music?"

"Not so much... I could probably pick it up if I worked at it, though. It was a long time ago, and I had trouble matching the notes on the music to which key to play."

"I can help you with that."

"Let's not work on it now... Will you just play something for me?"

"Sure, what would you like to hear?"

"Surprise me."

"Ok..."

Edward's fingers caressed the keyboard, coaxing a wondrous and amazing sound from the instrument that I couldn't imagine duplicating in my wildest imagination. His fingers moved confidently on the keyboard from memory. There was no sheet music in front of us. It was amazing that he was so incredibly talented and excelled at so many varied endeavors while I was simply so ordinary and plain. I couldn't understand what he saw in me or why he wanted to be with me.

I moved closer and lay my head on his shoulder. I loved being close to him like this, and I felt safe and warm as the rich piano sounds surrounded us.

"Debussy?" I mused. I loved this song. Renee had enjoyed the classics. She claimed they helped her migraine headaches, and played these CD's over and over again when the pain got bad.

"You know Debussy?" Edward asked, surprised.

"I love _Clair de Lune_. Renee used to play this all the time. She said it helped to soothe her migraines. I grew up listening to classical music. I guess most kids think it's old fashioned because it isn't what they hear on the radio, but it's really great if you give it a chance."

"I love the classics. I love that you have an ear for music. How about this piece?"

Edward's fingers flew over the keys, weaving an intricate and complex piece of music. I could feel the raw emotion and power of the music. He was very talented and it amazed me that he was playing this form memory without any sheet music at all. I would have been lost two minutes in. I smiled at him as his long sinuous finger moved over the keyboard.

"I love Bach. This is Piano Concerto number 1."

"Amazing, Bella. I love this concerto."

"Have you listened to it played on the harpsichord? It's even more amazing than the piano version."

"I have a CD at home. You should come over and we could listen to it... Or I could let you borrow it..."

"I'd love to come over sometime to listen to it with you, Edward."

Edward stopped playing and he turned toward me. He reached up and his fingers caressed my cheek. They were warm and soft as they moved on my skin and I felt electricity trace along my cheek at his touch.

I knew I was blushing and I looked down, embarrassed and a little afraid to look into his eyes.

His fingers caught my chin and lifted my head so he could look into my eyes. His mossy green eyes were amazing and seemed to bore directly into my soul.

"Don't look away... You're so pretty. Your eyes are amazing and show me so much."

"I'm a freak... Even my eyes couldn't decide on one color..."

"They make you special and different. I like them and I love looking into them. They're literally windows to the soul and they tell me so much that I have no other means to discover."

"Maybe I should look away if they give away that much..."

My heart was pounding in my chest and I was certain he could hear it hammering against my ribs. His hands were so warm and strong and soft. They caressed my cheeks, and massaged my earlobes befor moving into my hair to cradle my head.

I was moving closer as Edward drew me to him.

"I'm going to kiss you now..." There was the tiniest hesitation, heightening my anticipation. He gave me the chance to say no, but we both wanted this.

"Ok..." I whispered, and then his lips touched mine.

His lips were warm and petal soft as they brushed against mine. The kiss was so perfect and wonderful as his lips moved on mine.

Electricity tingled through my lips and flashed down my spine. I could feel all the tiny hairs on my arms stand on end, and the tingle flashed right through where I was sitting , down my legs all the way to my toes.

His hand moved to the small of my back, supporting me as he cradled my head with his other hand.

I tilted my head just enough so our noses didn't bump and I kissed him back as my hands moved onto the hard planes of his sculpted chest.

His lips moved on mine and I wanted so much more. I needed so much more.

The conscious part of my brain went away and my hands were moving on his body, caressing his broad shoulders. My arms snaked around his neck and my fingers knotted in his hair. I kissed him harder as I moved closer.

Edward pulled me onto his lap and I pressed myself against him as I sucked his lower lip between mine.

I could feel the tip of his tongue swipe across my lip, testing my desire and begging me to want this too. My lips parted and the tip of my tongue touched.

My mouth moved on his, caressing his lips, tasting and touching as we moved together. I'd never felt so alive and his hot musky masculine scent filled my senses as I kissed him and he kissed me back.

Time seemed to slip away and I just wanted to wrap myself up in Edward and taste him and feel him. I never wanted this to end, it felt so incredible to be in his strong arms. He held me and kissed me and I felt so safe and wonderful.

I was jarred back to reality by the sudden sound of my cell phone in my purse. I'd had the purse slung over my shoulder when we went to the concession stand. Now it lay forgotten beside the piano bench. The ring tone indicated a text.

Edward let me go and I slid off his lap. I reached down into my purse for the phone and opened it to read the message.

"Your coach is looking for you. He wants you to warm up for your match..."

"I think I'm kind of warmed up already."

"This was nice..." I stood up and stepped away. I could feel the heat in my face and I knew I was blushing.

"Don't be embarrassed. This was incredible. You are incredible. I like you, Bella. Please tell me this was ok... I don't want to push you away..."

"This was more than ok, Edward..."

"We can continue another time?"

"Ok... Right now, you need to go kick some ass and show me some of those wrestling moves."

Edward nodded and took my hand to lead me back into the main part of the gym. He dropped me off at the bleachers by Alice, and then went to report in to his coach.

"C'mon," Alice said. "Let's go to the restroom and fix your makeup."

"Umm... ok... Is there something wrong with it?"

"Your lipstick is a bit smudged. Edward looks good in that shade. Was it fun?"

"Umm... yes, yes it was."

"Good. I'm happy for you. My brother couldn't have picked a nicer girl."

I didn't know about that, but I had no complaints. I liked kissing Edward, and when I was ready to decide on a boyfriend, he was definitely at the top of the list. It was a very short list though. So far only Edward and Jacob seemed interested, now that Mike had taken himself out of the running.

I wasn't complaining. I was shocked that anyone was even interested in me to begin with, and having limited options meant it might be a bit easier to decide once I knew these guys and had to pick one to date.

Alice took me to the ladies room and we fixed our makeup, and then went back out to watch the guys wrestle.

The officials picked a weight class at random to start off with, and then went in order up through the classes. There were fourteen weight classes, six schools, and it was a double elimination tournament, so each wrestler could lose twice before being eliminated from his weight class. They started at the one-eighty-two class and worked through the weight classes for each bracket before moving on to the next bracket. That gave everyone plenty of time to rest in between matches.

We'd watched Emmett wrestle, and he easily won. I would have said it was a foregone conclusion that he could take the kid, but Emmett seemed ecstatic at his win and picked Rosalie up and spun her around, kissing her before she ordered him to put her down.

It was a long wait until Edward's match, but I didn't mind spending the time with him. We chatted, and he explained some more of the details and strategy of wrestling to me, pointing out techniques and what kids were doing right, and what some of them were doing wrong.

We stayed in the gym, though. I wouldn't have minded going for another walk, but we didn't want to attract attention and get in trouble for fooling around. Besides, Charlie was here tonight, and he might get suspicious if I kept disappearing with Edward.

Edward and I hung out until his coach called him over to start warming up a couple of matches before he'd be called to wrestle. Alice, Rosalie and I found seats close to the mat where Edward was going to wrestle and waited for the match to start.

I looked for Edward's opponent when I heard then called to report to the scoring table. Each wrestler had to check in, ready to wrestle, or forfeit the match. Then they'd move to an on deck holding area to wait for their match to start. This kept the matches rolling in rapid succession so the tournament didn't slow down while they waited for somebody to finish getting ready. There were a lot of matches to get through tonight, and they couldn't afford delays.

I found the kid Edward was supposed to wrestle when he walked into the on deck area to wait for the match ahead of them to finish. He looked huge and mean to me. He wasn't as tall as Edward, but stockier and more heavily muscled. He had a look of intense concentration on his face as he scowled slightly, intent on doing his best to win as he bounced lightly from foot to foot on the balls of his feet to keep his energy up. He was slightly crouched forward, balancing on the balls of his feet as he practiced moves, throwing his hands out to grapple an imaginary opponent as he bobbed and weaved.

I was intimidated just watching him stand there waiting to get called to wrestle, but Edward didn't seem concerned. Edward glanced in my direction and smiled. He nodded, acknowledging me and moved into the on deck holding area to wait for them to be called. He was lightly bouncing in a crouch too and moved his body and arms to stay loose and warmed up.

I was scared for Edward. I didn't want him to get hurt, but this was the sport he wanted to participate in. I knew I shouldn't interfere, but I through a shield around the other kid just to be on the safe side. I didn't want to inhibit Edward and make him think anything strange was going on, so I didn't try to shield him, but if there was an emergency, I could pop a force field around the other kid to get him off Edward if things got out of hand. He might feel it, but if I dropped it right away, he'd probably just shrug it off a coincidence.

Edward froze for a second, as if he was startled. He turned to me then, and gave me the oddest look, but he didn't say anything. He just smiled and nodded again and got back to his warm-up

Alice cheered loudly next to me, and it caught my attention for a second. Conner Johnson was wrestling on the mat in front of us now. He'd scored points for an escape, and now the wrestlers were back in the neutral position again as they circled, searching for a moment of weakness or a tiny advantage.

Suddenly they came together, grappling each other's shoulders, their head together as they each tried to overpower the other and take them down to the mat again, but they were evenly matched in weight and strength. It was the middle of the second period, so there was some time to go. People were shouting encouragement and advice. Somebody was yelling, 'shoot, shoot...' I had no idea what they meant, but I knew weapons weren't allowed...

I leaned into Alice to ask her. "What do they mean, shoot? Isn't that against the rules?"

"He means grab him behind the knee to push him off balance so he can take him down to the mat. You can grab the knee with your hands, or try to hook his ankle with yours to trip him, but if you don't do it just right, or telegraph your move, it makes you vulnerable for the other guy to take you down..."

"Oh..."

"Conner's going to have to do something soon. The other kids got him on points. He's gonna need to pin him or score some points real quick..."

Suddenly Conner's hand shot out like a snake striking, and he caught the other kid's knee, lifting him off balance. I could see why they called it shooting now. There was a flurry of motion too fast to follow as they collapsed onto the mat, scrambling for advantage.

Conner gained control of the situation as the other kid flipped onto his stomach and Conner landed on top of him, scrambling around behind him to cover his back.

The referee's hand with the green wrist band for home shot out, holding up fingers, and the score changed on the score board.

The guys were writhing around on the mat as the guy on the bottom looked for an opportunity to escape, and Conner tried to push his advantage to go for the pin. I could see him forcing his hands in to lock onto the other kids fore arm...

"Why doesn't he just grab him around the neck in a head lock and flip him over, Alice?"

"That's against the rules. It's too dangerous and it's an illegal move. No head locks that cut off the other guys breathing, and no full nelson allowed. You can do a half-nelson though..."

I didn't know what that was, but I figured she could show me later.

I looked back at the wrestling match. Conner had managed to pull the kids opposite arm out from under as it crossed his chest under his body and he had a hold of it with both hands now. He spun around so he was on the kid's side, and started to push forward with his feet as he pulled the kids arm up and around his body.

It looked violent and painful. Both of them were breathing hard, and the other kids face was beet red and constricted in a rictus of agony as he fought through the pain to stay on his belly, but Conner was putting all of his weight into pushing him over, and he had his legs braced on the mat as he drove into him.

The kid had no choice but to roll over, or let Conner rip his arm off. The referees arm shot out again, holding up fingers as the kid flipped onto his back, and Conner landed on his chest.

Conner's arm was across his chest and neck, hooked under the other kids arm, pushing him down as his legs grappled the kid's waist in a leg lock, tangling his legs and knees. He couldn't move his legs to try and kick out and Conner was forcing his shoulders down, under his arm.

Conner rolled the kids hips up and pushed his shoulder down and the referee's hand came down to slap the mat, scoring the pin.

Everyone on our side cheered, and our cheerleaders jumped up from where they sat on the edge of the wrestling mat, kicking in the air and waving their pom-poms to cheer for Conner.

The guys stood up and shook hands, and then the referee raised Conner's hand in the air to declare him the winner.

The match was over and they bent down to remove the colored bands from their ankles. They dropped them on the mat, and then they were walking off of the mat so the next match could start.

I looked up and Edward and the kid he was wrestling were standing at the scoring table to check in. They walked onto the mat, and then reached down to pick up the colored bands and fasten them around their ankles. Edward had the green band, and the other kid was red.

The referee had them shake hands, and then they started in the neutral position, facing off against each other with the toe of their foot on the opposing lines marked on the center of the mat.

The referee's hand came down to start the clock and the match, and then he stepped back as Edward and the other kid started to circle.

Suddenly they came together, grappling each other's shoulders, their heads together as they each tried to overpower the other and drive him down to the mat. I could see them struggling as they tried to move each other off balance and force the other down.

Edward stepped toward the other kid, and his ankle was behind the other boys as he tried to step back to keep his balance.

The kid went down and was on his side as he scrambled and tried to flop onto his stomach in a defensive move, but Edward was too fast. He pounced on his opponent, grappling his neck and shoulder, forcing him to try to spin away without going to his belly on the mat.

Edward's arm was around his neck reaching, and his other arm snaked under the kid's thigh as he squeezed him into a ball, trying to force his head to touch his knee. His hands came together as he rolled the kid back onto his shoulders, and the referee's hand came down to slap the mat.

It was over almost as fast as it had started, and they weren't halfway through the first period.

Everyone on our side cheered, and our cheerleaders jumped up, kicking and jumping and waving their pom-poms to cheer for Edward. The guys stood up to shake hands, and then the referee raised Edward's hand in the air to declare him the winner.

Edward bent down to remove the colored band on his ankle and dropped it on the mat, and then he was walking off of the mat toward me. He seemed excited, and I rose to meet him. He rushed up to me and caught me around the waist, lifting me off my feet and spinning me around in his excitement.

"This is going to be an amazing season!" He exclaimed, excited about his win.

Edward set me back on my feet, and my hands were around his neck. He was hot and sweaty, but it was wonderful and ok and I didn't care as I stared up into his excited green eyes. I was pressed up against his chest, and his hand came up to gently caress my cheek.

"Thank you! This was so incredible for me, having you here," and then he leaned down and very gently kissed my lips. It was brief and chaste as his lips brushed against mine, but it was wonderful and I didn't want him to stop.

I had no idea what had come over him, but I liked it. I wasn't sure what I had done for him that was so special, but I'd keep on doing it if it made him this happy.

He released me almost immediately. We were standing in the middle of the gym and the wrestling meet hadn't stopped while we had an intimate moment. Edward stepped away and went to talk to his coach. Most of the people in the gym hadn't even noticed, or didn't care, but Alice, Rose and Esme were beaming at me as I dreamily sat back down on the bench seat of the bleachers.

The wrestling meet was kind of fun. There were long stretches of nothing to do but watch other kids wrestle. I spent a lot of time together with Edward in between his matches. He was doing pretty good and hadn't been beaten yet. I hung out with Alice and Rose when Edward was off with the guys warming up or running moves with them to help them prepare.

So far I'd shielded all of his opponents for insurance, but I hadn't had to pull one off of him yet. Edward was a pretty awesome wrestler, and I liked watching him kick a little ass, even if it was a highly controlled high school sport.

Right now, there was a mandatory break in the tournament to make sure everyone was rested and didn't over exert themselves. Edward and the other wrestlers from Forks were in the locker room to talk strategy with the coaches. The cheerleaders were getting ready to do their floor routine, and Alice was helping Esme get them ready.

I was sitting in the lobby by the concession stand again, having a snack and drinking a pop before I headed back into the gym to watch the cheerleader's performance. Maybe I didn't want to be one, but I knew they worked hard, and it was still fun to watch.

The front door of the gym opened and a group of guys walked in.

It was late enough that they weren't charging admission to get in anymore. Pretty much everyone that was going to come was already here and it wasn't worth having somebody sit at the table by the door to catch random stragglers this late. I had an activity pass, so I got in for free to all the home events anyhow.

At first I just saw the leather jackets, jeans and boots, and knew trouble was walking through the door. Then the long shiny black hair and russet colored skin registered, and recognition dawned on me as I realized who they were. I knew these guys and they knew me too.

"Hey, Bella," Embry called in greeting as they spotted me.

I sat there like a deer caught in the headlights as I stared back at them. Then Jacob walked through the door and was staring into my eyes.

**Author's note:**

If you're still with me, sorry about that last chapter. I try to keep a high degree of reality in my writing, despite writing about fantastic circumstances and situations. Stuff like that happens in the real world.

That should be the last really bad James and Victoria chapter. I believe I've established the fact that they're bad people and deserve what happens to them.

I'm also posting chapter 26 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	12. Complicated

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 12 Complicated

Jacob walked in last, hurrying to bring up the rear. Quil and Embry were ribbing him about lagging behind. Seth was looking around like he'd never been here before, but I didn't see his sister.

They walked in like they owned the place, loud and boisterous, telling inside jokes and commenting about what they saw and the people they passed.

Suddenly Jacob stopped and seemed to sniff like he'd caught a scent in the air. His head tracked around and then he was looking directly at me.

Our eyes met across the room and I felt an odd tingling sensation shoot down my spine, but it passed quickly. Jacob was smiling at me, and then he was moving across the room to me as though he was drawn by some kind of magnetic attraction. His buddies followed in tow, once they realized where he was going. They had smiles on their faces and seemed to exchange knowing glances as the group moved in my direction.

I was done with my snack and tossed the cardboard boat into the trash as I stood up to greet them.

"Hey, Jake, What are you doing here tonight?" I asked.

Jacob shrugged. "We were over at the skate park, shredding the bowl and getting our grind on, when I mentioned it's Friday night. They hold wrestling meets here like three times a year. It's always a good show and we don't mind cheering for Forks. They're close enough to be the home team."

"You skate? That's cool. I was never any good, but I like to watch."

"That's cool. Maybe I can show you the skate park sometime."

"Yeah, that wold be cool. So toy came to watch the wrestling tournament?"

"Yeah, but I knew you'd be here tonight and I wanted to see you."

"Umm… Yeah… Hey, the cheerleaders are about to do their routine… We can go into the gym to watch them…"

"Sweet!" Embry said. "I knew this wasn't going to be boring. C'mon, I need to check this out!"

We started moving towards the gym, and Jacob wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close as we followed Quil and Embry and Seth.

"Man, you are such a dog! One girl isn't good enough for you?" Quil asked as he shoved him in the shoulder.

"No way, dude! You might be whipped, but I can play the field. I'm young and free and no girl's tying me down!"

"Yeah, until her dad catches you and then it's shotgun time, bro. That or the rabbit dies."

"Not killing any rabbits anytime soon. I always wrap my meat, bro."

"Dude, she's on the pill…"

"She says she's on the pill. I'm supposed to just believe her?"

"God, you are such a dog!"

""What, I'm supposed to whipped like you or Paul or Sam and just date one girl for the rest of my life? I've got wild oats to sow, dude. I've got no problem planting them wherever the opportunity is ready and willing…"

I tuned Jacob's friends out as we left the lobby. It felt nice being close to Jacob and I liked it, but people were staring as walked into the gym and found seats. Jacob sat beside me and pulled me close with his arm around my waist, and we weren't sitting like we were just friends. He was treating me like his girlfriend, but everyone here had seen me being close like this with Edward all night.

It was definitely awkward, but I didn't know how to tell Jacob to back off and cool it. Part of me was trying to tell me this was wrong, but another part of me felt so right when I was close to Jacob. That part of me was making the decisions right now and I let him hold me as the cheerleaders started their routine.

Quil and Embry finally shut up and the guys watched the girls perform. They were more interested in watching the girls jump around in their short skirts than they were about arguing with each other.

The girls really were good. I relaxed into Jacob's side and rested my head on his shoulder as we watched. He was tracing patterns on my hip and upper thigh with his fingertips, and it felt nice to be close to him and just let go…

Jacob leaned down and kissed the top of my head, and then spoke quietly in my ear, "Hey, do you want to get out of here for a while? We could go for a walk, get some air…"

That sounded nice… I'd been thinking about sneaking outside for a cigarette for a while, and I'd been meaning to talk to Alice about it. We usually stepped out for a smoke now and then, but it would be nice to go for a walk with Jacob too.

"Ok…" I said.

Jacob got up and reached for my hand to pull me up and help me out of the bleachers. He kept my hand as we started walking and climbed down the stairs onto the gym floor.

I hadn't noticed the wrestling team come back in while the cheerleaders performed.

Something hard shoved into Jacob, pushing him sideways, pushing us apart as my hand was torn out of his…

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing with my girl?!" Somebody yelled. I knew that voice…

I was confused and a little disoriented. I was trying to figure out how we'd managed to stumble into somebody's dispute. The gym had been as quiet as it got at an event like this, and nobody was arguing before…, and then it hit me as I realized it was Edward shoving Jacob. This was our dispute… It was about all of us… All about me…

Jacob shoved Edward back off of him. "Dude, back off! She ain't your girl! We were just walking… Now get out of my face before I have to hurt you!"

"Bella's here with me tonight Black! We were fine until you showed up! Bella's going out with me tomorrow! She's made up her mind! Now get the hell out of here before I throw you out!" Edward was in his face, and he looked angry. His face was red and he was breathing hard as he shoved Jacob again, barely moving him.

"Dude, you are so out of your league! I know she's hanging out with you on Saturday. I'm cool with that. She does what she wants and chooses who she hangs with. She's going to dinner with me on Friday! Now get out of my face!" Jacob shoved Edward back.

Jacob had a couple of inches on Edward in height and had to be twenty or thirty pounds heavier, all solid muscle. Edward was pushed away and stumbled a couple of feet back before he caught his balance.

This was going to get ugly in a hurry. I saw Edward's arm haul back in a fist as he prepared to launch himself at Jacob.

Quil and Embry and Seth were flying out of the bleachers to back up Jacob if it came to a fight. Then Jasper and Emmett were there restraining Edward, holding him back.

"Get a grip, Edward," Jasper hissed in his ear, holding his arm while Emmett grappled his shoulder, restraining him from flying at Jacob.

I couldn't understand why Edward was letting this happen. He knew I was friends with Jacob too. Didn't he trust me to make up my own mind? Of course if I was honest with myself, things were getting out of hand. Jacob has kissed me last night, and I was pretty sure I would have kissed him again tonight if we'd gone outside like we'd been planning to.

I'd kissed Edward tonight too, and I was getting dangerously close to leading one of these guys on if I didn't make up my mind soon.

Then Charlie was there, wading into the middle of the action, putting on his cop hat as he tried to deal with the situation.

"Ok, let's take this down a notch, guys. What's going on here?"

"Jacob Black was Harassing Bella and I was defending her honor!" Edward exclaimed.

"You are so full it, dude! Bella and I were going for a walk. I asked her and she said ok, and then lover boy here shoved me from behind!"

"Ok, one at a time. Bella, tell me what happened." Charlie said, looking at me.

Everybody was looking at me. They were fighting over me. And now they wanted answers…

No answer I gave would be the right answer, whether I told the truth or lied.

"Umm… I was walking with Jacob and Edward shoved him…"

"Ok, I've heard enough," the wrestling coach, Mr. Chapman said. "Whitlock, McCarty, get Masen in the locker room. You need to cool off, son. I'll let you know if you can still wrestle tonight."

Charlie turned to Jacob. "Do you want to press charges? He started it and you defended yourself. It didn't come to blows but it's still an assault."

"No, I'm not hurt and I don't want to cause any grief. I don't need the law to back me up."

Charlie nodded and seemed to relax a little. "Fine, well steer clear of Edward for a while. Try not to provoke him, Jacob," Charlie said, glancing at me.

Jacob looked at me. He reached for my hand. "Did you still want to go for that walk, Bella?"

I stepped back and didn't take his hand. I looked down at my toes and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Maybe now isn't the best time, Jacob. I don't want to be the cause of any problems… Maybe we should just cool it tonight… I'm supposed to go over to Alice's house tomorrow… I'll see you on Friday, ok?"

"Fine, I understand, but I didn't start this, and I saw you first. Cullen can have his shot, but you're my girl, not his…"

I looked up then, and looked him in the eye. "I'm not anybody's girl yet, and that's my decision."

Jacob seemed to rock back like I'd slapped him, but he nodded. "We're still good for Friday night?"

"Five o'clock, I'll be ready."

"Fine, Friday night you're mine."

"Do Harry and Sue now you brought Seth to Forks tonight, Jacob?" Charlie asked. "I don't see Leah around anywhere. I'm pretty sure Sue told Seth not to hang out with you guys unless Leah went with you…"

"Ah, Charlie, not you too," Seth complained. I'm old enough to decide who I hang with and what I do. Jacob and Quil and Embry are cool. We're just having fun…"

"You're all good kids, and I trust you, but you guys think up plenty of ways to find trouble when you're all together and have too much time on your hands."

"Maybe you should find something fun to do in La Push, before your mom and dad call me and I have to tell them where you are."

Charlie looked at Jacob and he didn't have to say it and spell it out for Jacob to take a hint. Jacob turned to look at Quil and Embry. "You want to stay or go?"

"Let's get out of here while we still can," Quil said.

"Yeah, let's hit the road before you get all our butts thrown in jail," Embry chimed in.

Jacob nodded to me and they moved towards the door. "Hey, he shoved me…"

"Let's blow," Embry said as he shoved several slips of paper into his pocket. "All these girls will have to go home by the time this is over…"

"How did you manage to get that many phone numbers in just a couple of minutes?" Seth asked with a touch of awe in his voice.

"Skill, brother, pure skill and cojones as big as my fist…"

Charlie shook his head, "That's trouble brewing, if I know those guys," and then turned to me after they walked out the door.

"This is gonna get ugly, Bella. You're playing with fire girl, and you better make up your mind in a hurry or these boys are gonna hurt themselves. Then I'm gonna have to step in and clean up the mess. I don't want to have to use my official position to settle this because you're involved and it's personal, but I will if I have to.

"If they step out of line chasing after you, I'll slap them down so hard; they won't know what hit them. Don't make me do that."

"I'm so sorry, Charlie… I don't want to be in the middle of this. I like them both so much… I don't want them fighting over me…"

"Well, they are. You're gonna have to make decisions, and the sooner you do the better."

I nodded and walked back to the bleachers to sit down. Alice sat down beside me.

"Well, that could have gone better," Alice said.

"Why did Edward do that, Alice? Why would he attack Jacob, doesn't he know we're friends? Jacob would never hurt me."

"You know the answer. Do I have to spell it out for you? You realize Edward is falling in love with you, right…?"

"I knew he liked me and we're getting closer… He's falling in love with me?"

Alice nodded.

"He hasn't said anything to me…"

Alice shrugged. "You said you'd say no if he even asked you to go on a date. You said you needed space. I guess you don't need as much space as he was giving you if you've got a date with Jacob."

"So maybe I'm ready to say yes now…"

"It might be nice if you let him know that."

"Alright, so what about Edward? Is he going to be in trouble? Will he get to wrestle in the rest of the tournament?"

"He's Edward, What do you think? He's working damage control right now."

"Oh…"

"What he did was wrong, Bella, but he's a good kid most of the time, and the coaches love him. Esme and Carlisle do a lot for the school too. Any other kid, and he pulled a stunt like that, they'd probably pull a three day suspension from school. He wouldn't wrestle again tonight, and he'd probably be off the team for the rest of the season. That's not going to happen to Edward."

"That doesn't seem quite fair, but I don't want to be the cause of him getting into trouble…"

"Then stop seeing Jacob Black, Bella. It's not that hard to figure out. I know you want Edward. Edward wants you too. You're so good together and good for each other. You're the one complicating this, Bella!"

"It's not that easy, Alice. If I told you to stop seeing Jasper could you do it?"

"No. Not in this lifetime."

"What if there were two Jaspers? What if you felt just as strongly about both of them, but you knew you had to pick one of them. How would you choose? Which one would you give up? Which one would you walk away from and tell to stay away?"

"That's an impossible choice. I'd love them both equally…"

"Welcome to my world. When you figure it out, let me know because I have no clue. Everybody has an opinion, but nothing that makes the choice any easier for me."

"Ok, maybe I'm beginning to get an Idea of what you've gotta deal with…"

"Thank you, Alice. It's good to have someone to talk too, I love all of you, but it's so frustrating at the same time."

"Why is that?"

"Everyone in my life right now, every girl or woman I can talk to about this are all firmly in the team Edward camp. You're all his sister or his mother, and of course you're going to think Jacob is the wrong choice and Edward is the right choice. Charlie tries to be impartial, and he's known Jacob since he was born, but he just wants me to decide so they don't kill each other. He isn't going to be happy with any boy that's dating his daughter."

"I suppose I didn't make a very favorable impression tonight, did I?" Edward said as he walked up beside us.

"I'll let you two talk," Alice said and got up to leave, giving us some space.

"So what the hell was that all about, Edward? She's mine? She's made her decision? What the hell gives you the right to go all caveman on Jacob and attack him like that? I don't want you fighting over me. I couldn't bear to see either of you hurt. It's so much worse when you're hurting each other because of me…"

"I'm sorry. I got jealous, seeing him sitting beside you, putting his hands on you… It was childish, but I'm not used to not getting my way. I suppose you could say I acted my age, but that would be an insult to seventeen year old boys."

"I guess there's nothing I can do about it. Jacob and I are friends. I'm not happy about any of this, Edward."

"I hope you don't think ill of me for this, but I am completely and utterly enthralled by you, Bella. You captivate my soul and I have to have you."

"I realize that now… I'm not ready to make any commitments to anyone yet, Edward…"

"Will you still come over tomorrow? Let me make this up to you and prove that I can be a gentleman?"

"Fine. I'll let this go tonight, but I'm not forgetting it or forgiving your actions. No more fighting, and I make my own decisions. You will not attack Jacob and you will not act jealous, or you'll make my decision for me. Do you understand, Edward?"

"So, you're going out with Jacob on Friday night?"

"Yes… You're not my boyfriend, Edward. Neither is Jacob. I'll date who I want to date and decide who I want to spend time with. If you can't deal with that, then we don't need to bother with tomorrow."

"I want to see you tomorrow. I was hoping you'd come to the wrestling meet in Bainbridge on Monday..."

"I don't want to sit in a car for three hours each way and get home at two in the morning. Besides, I think the time apart will do us good. You're ok with that, right?"

"I told you I'd accept your terms. I don't need to keep Jacob away from you for him to screw this up and lose you. You'll decide to be my girlfriend because you want to be with me, not him. You'll pick me because I'm the best choice for you."

"Are we arrogant much?"

"No, just confident that I know what you want and what's best for you. I see it every day in the mirror."

"So now you're god's gift to women?"

"I can have any woman I want. I'll settle for god's gift to Bella Swan and thank him for that honor every day of my life."

The scoring table announced the next match over the PA system, and Edward was called to wrestle. Apparently Alice was right, and Edward wasn't going to get suspended or kicked off the wrestling team, no matter how much he deserved it.

"Go on, go wrestle. Maybe this kid will kick your ass and knock some of that swagger out of your step."

"Not likely. So we're still on for tomorrow?"

"We're good, but if you fight with Jacob anymore, we're done."

Edward nodded, and looked me in the eye. I could feel all of his grave sincerity, and I knew he wasn't lying. "I'm sorry, Bella, and it won't happen again. You're too important to me." He got up and hurried away to the scoring table to check in.

The kid didn't kick his ass. None of them did. Edward went undefeated that night and won first place in his weight class. It was still scary to me watching him wrestle all those other boys, but I never had to step in and save him. It was good way to start the season.

~o~MTH~o~

Charlie got up to go fishing on Saturday morning like he did most weekends. I was planning on going over to the Cullens today to spend the day with Alice and maybe Edward if he still wanted to see me after what had happened at the wrestling tournament.

It was hard for me to sleep in. My internal clock woke me up early, despite turning off my alarm clock, and I was lying in bed staring at the clock when my alarm would have gone off. I didn't try to stay in bed and got up to start my day.

Charlie was long gone by the time I finally gave up on trying to sleep and got up to start my day. We'd already discussed our plans for the day. Charlie wouldn't be home until late this afternoon and had mentioned he might head over to La Push to visit Billy and Harry. I was on my own unless I called him, and he was ok with me going to the Cullens to see Alice as long as I called him if my plans changed. I was golden as long as I was in before midnight and he knew where I was.

I wasn't going to show up at Alice's house at the crack of dawn, and she was coming to pick me up regardless, so I just threw on some sweats and a tank top and got caught up on chores around the house. Charlie was too neat for a guy, so there wasn't a lot of cleaning to do, but I changed my sheets and collected all of my dirty laundry and washed clothes. I cleaned the bathroom before I showered and then went down to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Alice was picking me up around ten, so I went back upstairs after breakfast to start getting ready.

I didn't put a lot of effort into my hair and makeup. I knew Alice would want to play with it today, and I'd just be washing off anything I put on. I knew she'd want to style my hair, and I was cool with that, so I just brushed it out and left it loose.

I had a strategy for clothes today, and I knew it was going to make Alice both pleased and exasperated.

I'd decided to finally give in and wear a skirt today. I figured if I wore any of my jeans and t-shirts over to Alice's house, she'd have an opportunity to make them disappear. She'd want to dress me up in outfits like what I was planning to wear over to her house, and then I was sure she'd find some excuse to have me wear it home. She'd say she was going to launder my jeans, which I'd likely never ever see again. If I nipped that plan in the bud and wore clothes she'd picked out and 'loaned' to me when I went over to her house, then she wouldn't have an excuse to eliminate another pair of my jeans.

I could see her strategy. She was slowly replacing my wardrobe with more fashion forward items that she thought I ought to be wearing. I'd noticed things missing already, but they were always replaced with nicer higher quality clothes. I actually had more skirts and dresses in my closet than pants, and that was a situation that hadn't ever happened in my life before I met Alice.

I stood in front of my closet trying to pick out an outfit, and tried to remember the last time I had worn a dress somewhere. It threw me for a loop for a minute, and I really had to dig deep to think of a time I'd ever even worn a dress, not counting dress up with Alice or trying on clothes in a store, but really wearing a dress or a skirt out in public for clothes to go someplace.

Renee had never really dressed me up a lot in girly things. Dresses were special occasion clothes, and we were pretty casual people. I had a vague memory of a wedding I'd gone to for Phil's family when I was ten or eleven where I'd worn a dress, but it was very hard to think of times when I'd ever even worn one. I could probably count all the times on one hand without using all my fingers.

I shook my head to clear the memories and concentrated on the task at hand. I found a nice light brown skirt that hung past my knees and was full enough to swirl nicely. I picked out a one of the tops Alice had 'loaned me' to go with it. I had a feeling it was real silk and not a synthetic blend.

Then I picked out shoes to go with the outfit, but the only shoes Alice had stocked in my closet were heels that I would have classified as dangerously high before I met her. I didn't mind so much about the shoes anymore since I'd actually tried them and knew I wasn't going to break my neck wearing them. I selected a pair that I thought went with the outfit, and sat down to put them on.

I had no idea what the brand was, but I had a sneaking suspicion that they were designer and very expensive. I'd resisted googling the names on the labels on the shoes and clothes because I didn't want to know what they cost. I had a sneaking suspicion that the wardrobe in my closet was worth more than Charlie made in a year, but that was just insane.

Alice couldn't possibly be buying and giving me expensive designer clothes just to try and revamp and upscale my wardrobe. She was seventeen for god sake, and lived in a foster home. Then again, she did drive a Porsche and Edward had his own car. I knew doctors did pretty good, but she must have one hell of an allowance to even afford her car payment.

I went downstairs to wait for Alice when she said she'd be picking me up. I locked the door behind myself and was standing out on the porch smoking a cigarette when her yellow Porsche pulled up in front of the house.

I felt half naked, and had this irrational fear running through my head that I'd forgotten to put on my pants and everyone was going to stare at me. It felt so strange standing outside in front of the house, knowing there was nothing between my legs but my panties. The skirt covered everything, and hung past my knees, but it was still a very strange feeling for me to be dressed like this out in public. Shorts were a completely different experience than this. I didn't mind people looking at my legs, but the skirt made me feel like I was undressed or had forgotten to put something on.

I crushed out the cigarette butt in the ashtray on the porch and walked down to meet Alice. I didn't even stumble going down the steps, but I didn't try walking across the lawn, and stuck to the walkway. Walking outside on uneven surfaces was a new experience, and I was afraid my heels would sink into the ground if I tried to walk across the grass. I made it to the car without incident, and the shoes didn't even feel strange anymore.

"Very nice," Alice said with a huge smile on her face when I opened the passenger door to get in. "I guess I'm finally starting to rub off on you,"

I shrugged as I fastened my seatbelt. "I don't really like this, Alice. I feel half naked not wearing pants..."

"You'll get used to it. I like it. It's kind of nice actually, so why the sudden change of heart?"

"You would have had me dressed like this thirty minutes after we got to your house anyway, and I know my jeans are disappearing out of my room. I'm willing to compromise. You can pick out some clothes for me to wear when I go out, but quit making mine disappear, ok?"

"You'll wear an outfit like that to school?"

"Let's not get crazy here... Nobody dresses like this at school…"

"Jessica, Lauren, Sara, and a dozen other girls all wore skirts to school last week."

"They're all cheerleaders, Alice. Those were their cheerleader uniform skirts, and they wear tap pants under them."

"Other girls wear skirts to school…"

"You haven't since I met you. Pick your battles, Alice."

"I will if you will. Rose will too, and a lot of other girls wear skirts that aren't cheerleading uniforms…"

"Maybe in the spring, or when it gets closer to summer I'll be more comfortable with the idea."

"Fine, so you'd wear something like this to go out or maybe go shopping?"

"That might not be so bad..."

"That's not a yes, Bella."

"Fine, I'll wear something like this to go out or on a shopping trip, but school is out for now unless I see an awful lot of other girls dressing like this, and you leave my pants alone, ok?"

"See, that wasn't so difficult."

"That's wasn't a yes, Alice."

"Fine, you can wear jeans to school, but can we at least find you some designer jeans?"

"I can't afford designer jeans."

"I can, and I don't mind helping out."

"What do your parents think about that? I know doctors make good money, but don't they say anything about how much you spend, Alice? I haven't looked up any of these labels because I don't want to know. I'd probably complain a lot more if I knew how much you were spending, but I know this stuff isn't cheap…"

"Don't worry about the money, I don't. I just buy what I like, and you get what you pay for. Good shoes are worth their weight in gold."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I've never paid more than thirty or forty dollars for a pair of shoes in my life, and those were expensive dress shoes for me. I'm more of the twenty dollar Walmart sneakers kind of girl. I can't imagine paying over a hundred dollars for a pair of shoes…"

"A hundred dollars?! Silly Bella, you can't get decent shoes for that kind of money. I pay more than what you're willing to pay for shoes on the stockings I wear with them. Those shoes you're wearing cost…"

"Na na na na! Don't tell me! I don't want to know! I wouldn't be able to wear them if I knew how much they cost! I'd take them home and lock them in my closet and refuse to wear them! I'd be afraid to break them or scuff them or something."

"Fine, I won't tell you, but don't complain about the price if you don't want to know. Just be gracious and say thank you, and let it be the end of it, ok? I like nice things and like getting nice things for the people I care about."

"Thank you, Alice."

"You're welcome. You look pretty today. The biggest compliment you can give me is wearing the things I get for you. I don't buy them so you can stuff them in the back of your closet, and then wear some sweat shop rag that you bought at a discount store because it was cheap."

"Ok…"

"You're a girl. You should dress how you want to dress because you like it, not because you can afford it. I guess it's up to me to help you get back in touch with your feminine side."

"That's fine. I don't mind you helping, Alice. I'm just not used to this... I've never had much money to speak of. I've always had to live frugally. Jeans last a long time, and you can wear them anywhere."

"Not anywhere. Sometimes you just want to look and feel pretty."

"I was just thinking about that this morning when I was picking out this outfit. My mom never really ever dressed me in girly things. I can count the times I've ever even worn a dress out of the house on one hand, counting today."

"Well, that's just totally unacceptable, Bella. You know I'm not going to let that record stand."

"That's fine, but try and work inside my comfort zone, ok? This is going to take some time to get used to."

"I'm proud of you. You've taken your first steps into a much wider universe, young padawan."

"Seriously, you're paraphrasing Star Wars now?"

"Hey, Star Wars is cool, and you recognized the quote, so don't get all high and mighty with me."

"Ok, I might have watched a video or two in my time…"

"Uh huh, a video or two? What about the books on your book shelf then. It's ok to admit you like something, Bella. I won't hold it against you."

"Right…, so moving along, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Oh, I don't know… We can just play it by ear. I want to redo your nails. You can pick out the color, and then we can work on your hair and makeup. What do you want to do for dinner?"

"I thought we were eating at your house? Does Esme have something planned? I guess we could go back to my place if you wanted…"

"I was thinking about maybe grabbing the boys and heading out to Port Angeles for dinner. Rose and Emmett can tag along if they want to, and we could go to the movies, or maybe go dancing. There are some clubs that cater to the under twenty-one crowd out that way."

"A movie might be fun… but I can't dance…"

"You know saying something like that isn't going to get you out of it. I take a statement like that as a personal challenge. Girls are supposed to like to dance. Anyone can learn to dance, and if I can teach you to walk in those shoes, you can learn to dance."

"Alice! I'll go to a movie, ok?"

"Fine, but you know Edward is going to want to take you dancing once he finds out about this…"

"Then don't tell him…"

"Pftt… As if that's ever going to happen. He'll find out whether I tell him or not. You better shine up your dancing shoes, girlfriend."

"Not going to happen, Alice…"

"Sounds like famous last words to me."

Alice and I chatted as she drove us to her house. We had to drive out of Forks and cross to the other side of the river north of town to get to her house. It was a good thing Alice knew where he was going, because I would have been lost as soon as we turned off the highway.

She drove north out of town across the bridge and up the 101 heading north. It seemed like a long ways to me, and then she turned East off the highway and drove down a paved road that led into the forest. We passed some houses, but they grew further apart and more secluded as we wound north and east into the forest. Finally we turned off onto what looked like a private gravel road. I knew I would have missed it in the trees, but Alice seemed confident that she knew where he was going. I suppose that made sense, since she'd lived here for over two years.

Soon, we broke out of the trees and I recognized the lawn and the house.

I looked up at the house as we drove towards it. The house was a beautifully restored three story Victorian mansion. It was painted white, and had a columned porch that stretched around the front of the house out of view. It was set in a huge lawn or cultivated meadow. Six giant cedar trees surrounded the house and cradled it in perpetual shade. I could hear the river running in the background behind the house.

The driveway led out of the forest across the lawn and passed in front of the house in a half circle drive. The driveway continued around the house to the back of the property where there were additional out buildings.

Alice had parked out front the last time we were here. This time she pulled around back behind the big white three story mansion and used a remote to open a garage door and pulled into a huge garage before she parked the car.

The garage alone was bigger than Charlie's house. There was space to park eight or ten vehicles and a section set up like an auto shop bay complete with a car lift, diagnostic computers and equipment and several professional looking mechanics tool boxes.

Edward's Volvo was parked in the garage, and I recognized Esme's Mercedes. There was another red convertible BMW, a huge four-wheel drive jeep, a silver gray Camaro, and some sort of low black fast and powerful looking sports car that I didn't recognize the make of. I knew Alice's father had a big black Mercedes sedan, but it was gone, so he was probably at the hospital today.

"Wow, are all of these your cars?" I asked as we got out of the car.

"We keep these ones around to drive. The rest of the collection is in a warehouse in Chicago."

"The rest… How many cars do you own?"

"A few… Like I said, these are the ones we drive all the time or like to have on hand."

"Ok…"

I didn't ask whose car was whose because Alice was already heading for the door, and I had to hurry to keep up with her. She went out the door, and there was a short cement walkway leading to a back door into the house. I followed her up the steps and into the kitchen of the main house.

The last time I'd been here I'd just walked through the living room and gone upstairs to Alice's room. I hadn't been in this part of the house yet.

The kitchen was huge and modern with black granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. There was a huge stove and oven in a central island and a massive refrigerator. There was a built-in dish washer next to the large double sinks. There was a cozy looking breakfast table under windows looking out on the yard with six chairs around it and barstools at the counter opposite the stove.

Alice led me through the kitchen and through a formal dining room. The dining room was dominated by a huge antique looking dining room table and was large enough to provide seating for ten or twelve diners. There was a buffet cabinet under the window and a huge china cabinet on the opposite wall. A chandelier provided lighting for the room and there were silver candle sticks on the table.

The living room was huge as I remembered. It appeared to have been renovated from several smaller rooms, but the intervening walls had been removed to create a huge open space that nicely decorated in pastel shades. There were several couches, loveseats and armchairs arranged in conversation groups. There was a huge flatscreen TV mounted to the wall and a bunch of video game consoles. There were shelves of games and movies and several movie players for DVD, blue ray, and even VHS tapes. It appeared that the entire back wall of the room had been removed and replaced with huge glass panels that looked out on an expansive deck and a built in swimming pool and hot tub. I was astonished at how neat and clean everything looked when I knew there were three teenaged boys living here.

Several rooms opened off the main living room. There was a smaller family room and a music room. There was a raised dais separating the family room and living room with a full-sized concert grand piano, which I knew was Edward's.

Alice didn't even slow down as she led me towards the Curved stairway in the middle of the room, opposite the foyer leading to the front door, that led upstairs to the second story.

Jasper and Emmett were sitting in the living room playing video games, and just waved to us as we walked through, but Alice had to slowdown when we got to the stairs. Esme was coming down the stairs and we were forced to pause so we didn't run her over.

Esme was utterly stunning with long caramel-colored hair, but it was styled oddly today. It was curled under at the ends and looked kind of old fashioned like something you'd see in a black and white movie from the forties or fifties instead of just loose or her typical ponytail. It accentuated her heart-shaped face with delicate eyebrows and dimples. She was wearing a short sleeved dress today with a collar and lapels and short puff sleeves. The dress hung past her knees to mid-calf with low heeled pumps. She wore an apron over her dress like something out of the nineteen fifties. All she needed was the string of pearls and she could totally pull off June Cleaver from the old black and white _Leave it to Beaver_ TV shows.

"Hi, girls," Esme said cheerfully as she stepped off the stairs. "You look so pretty today, Bella. Are you girls going upstairs to play?" She asked. Esme gave off that total mom vibe and could make me feel completely loved like I was five years old, but it didn't feel at all weird coming from her.

Thank you, Esme. You look nice today, too," I replied.

"Yes, mom," Alice answered. "I'm going to do Bella's nails, and then we wanted to try some hairstyles and makeup."

"Ok, well you girls have fun. Have you made plans for dinner yet?"

"I was thinking we might head out to Port Angeles for dinner if the rest of the kids want to tag along and get out of the house for a while."

"Oh... That might be nice. Carlisle is getting off at five. We could have the house all to ourselves for some private alone time if you all decided to go out. That could be fun..." Esme said thoughtfully as a smile spread across her face.

I seriously didn't want to know what she had planned for 'private alone time', but I had a pretty good idea, regardless. I doubted any of the other kids would want to disappoint her, so it looked like we were going out to dinner.

"We're going out, darlin'?" Jasper called from the sofa where he was playing video games with Emmett.

"Sure, if Edward wants to go with us..." Alice answered.

"He'll be there if Bella is going," Jasper replied.

"I guess me and Rosie will tag along too, so Esme and Carlisle can have the house to themselves tonight," Emmett said.

"Do you want me to make reservations?" Jasper asked.

"That would be great, Jazz. Can you check what's playing at the movies too?"

"No problem, Alice, I'll let you know," Jasper replied.

Alice just nodded and led me up the stairs to her room.

Carlisle and Esme's bedroom suite and Carlisle's study were on the second floor. I'd learned that Rosalie and Emmett shared another bedroom suite on this floor. I just let it go and accepted that they were all ok with them living together while they went to high school. They were both going to turn eighteen in a couple of months anyhow, so it didn't really matter what anyone said to them or anyone else in the family for that matter.

The age of consent was sixteen in the state of Washington, so it wasn't like they were breaking the law or anything. People might complain about the propriety of the situation and Carlisle and Esme allowing this under their roof, but nobody was complaining or calling child protective services.

I hadn't pried too deeply into all of their living arrangements, but from what I gathered, Edward was the only one of the kids that had been officially adopted by Carlisle and Esme. All of the rest of the foster care arrangements were completely unofficial. I assumed they had documentation listing Carlisle and Esme as their legal guardians so they could register for school and do to the doctor, and stuff like that, but all of the other kids besides Edward had just come to live with them, and hadn't been placed by the courts or any kind of state agency.

I had wondered about that when Edward told me they had lived in several different states. It was possible if they'd been officially adopted, but typically foster care placements didn't cross state lines unless you navigated a nightmare of paperwork. A straight adoption was easier. Of course they had simply bypassed all that rigmarole because none of the kids living with them was officially sanctioned to begin with.

Alice and Jasper's bedroom suite was on the third floor. Edward's bedroom was at the opposite end of the third floor from Alice and Jasper's rooms.

Edward hadn't been downstairs, and his car was in the garage so I assumed he was in his bedroom. I wondered what he'd do if I walked down the hall and knocked on his door. I was tempted to do it and see if he'd even want to talk to me after last night and the fact that I still planned to go out with Jacob.

I didn't do it, though. Alice and I had plans, and she wanted girl time with me to play dress-up. I'd let her paint my nails and do my hair and makeup, but I knew I was going to see Edward later. It sounded like I was going to dinner with him, but I'd have to wait and see.

Alice's bedroom was huge. The walls were painted pale green. I was honestly surprised that there were cracks in the walls and ceiling that looked like they'd been patched and painted over time and again. It was like something caused the room to flex or bend that stressed the plaster to the breaking point without actually breaking holes in the walls.

I remembered seeing this sort of thing in California years ago, but they had lots of earthquakes there that accounted for the cracks you saw in the walls out there. I knew Washington had some active volcanoes, but I didn't know if there were earthquakes too. The rest of the house was pristine, and I wondered why the plaster would be cracked and repaired in Alice's room. It looked like whatever was causing it happened fairly regularly.

I had been surprised by the queen sized bed with a purple and green velvet duvet the first time I was here. There was a mound of purple and green throw pillows piled at the head of the bed.

Doors led out of the room to the bathroom and walk-in closet. There were two different dressers, and two desks with laptop computers. It was easy to pick out Alice's desk from the fashion magazines, the sketch pads and portfolio case with her designs.

Jasper's desk was much neater than I would have expected with stacks of old hard bound books. The titles surprised me. They were mostly history books, but there was philosophy from both western and eastern philosophers. Some of the books were written in some Asian language like Chinese or Japanese. There was a display rack on the back of the desk with a set of Japanese style swords, and Alice had cautioned me not to mess with them the first time I was here. They were real battle ready swords, and extremely sharp. Sort of like a three foot long straight razor that was sharp enough to shave with, or chop off your hands if you weren't careful.

Alice went straight to her vanity table with the lighted mirror. She had tons of makeup and beauty supplies, and she opened a cabinet door and took out a big leather case and carried it over to the bed.

"Ok, take off your shoes and get comfortable," Alice said as she opened the case. I recognized the case of course. It held Alice's nail colors and supplies. She'd brought it to my house the last time she'd done my nails for me.

"Go ahead and pick out the color you want to try this time," Alice told me, as she got out the supplies she'd need.

I decided on cherry red this time.

We relaxed and had fun doing manicures and pedicures. Alice had showed me what to do last time, and we took turns doing each others nails. We took off all the old polish first, and she had a pedicure bowl that she filled with a solution of warm water and mineral salts to soak hands and feet in.

We chatted while we buffed and moisturized, and filed and e**xfoliate**d. It was fun and we enjoyed ourselves as we took turns pampering each other. I knew Alice probably paid to have this done most of the time, but it was something we could easily do for each other together, and it was kind of fun besides.

I hadn't done anything like this for years, but Renee and I had done these sorts of things together years ago in better times when we had the opportunity to. She'd taught me the basics of how to do my makeup and some basic beauty skills, but nothing as elaborate as what Alice was teaching me.

I was getting better at actually painting the polish on, and between a base coat, two coats of polish and a clear top coat I got plenty of practice. Alice had foam toe separators to help separate toes when we did our toenails.

We spent hours in Alice's bedroom and bathroom doing our nails, and then hair and makeup. Alice had an honest to goodness salon chair in her bathroom, and she styled my hair for me. I wouldn't let her cut it, but anything short of dying it or cutting it was fine with me.

It was later in the afternoon, and we decided to take a break and get some lunch. It had been fun, spending the day with Alice, just being ourselves and playing with her hair and makeup supplies and trying different looks and techniques. I'd learned a lot, although I was nowhere as good as Alice at all the little tricks and nit picky details. I wasn't afraid to put on my own makeup and know I'd look good, but I knew Alice would do a better job.

We walked out of her bedroom to head downstairs, and help but glance down the hall and wonder if Edward was still in his room, or if he'd ever even been in there in the first place. Alice saw me look and just smiled, but I followed her to the stairs and we started down.

Esme's door was open as we walked past her room, and she was inside puttering around, straightening up. I'd been meaning to talk to her after what had happened last night, and now looked like the perfect opportunity.

I turned to Alice. "Why don't you go ahead and go downstairs, and I'll catch up with you in a minute. I wanted to talk to Esme about something. I'll meet you in the kitchen, ok?"

"Sure, Bella, I wanted to check in with Jasper about the dinner reservations and see what's playing at the movies anyhow. We can decide what we want to see when you get downstairs."

I nodded and Alice walked away towards the stairway. I walked over to Esme's Bedroom door and knocked on the frame to announce my presence.

"Hi, Esme... I was wondering if we could talk for a minute..."

"Sure, Bella, please come in, and make yourself comfortable," Esme said, calling me in and leading me to an overstuffed sofa with a view out the broad window, and indicated that I should sit down. Esme sat down beside me, elegantly crossing her legs and looking perfectly at ease.

I still felt awkward in a skirt, but I knew how to sit like a lady and turned to speak to her.

"Thank you for coming to speak to me," Esme began. "I was really hoping we'd have an opportunity to sit down and talk after what happened last night at the wrestling meet."

**Author's note:**

Sorry I'm a bit late. As it turns out, my grandson was wrestling in his first wrestling tournament this morning, so we had to go cheer for him.

I'm also posting chapter 27 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	13. The Cullens

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 13 The Cullens

"I wanted to apologize for what happened last night…"

"You don't need to apologize to me, Bella. I understand how difficult all of this can be for a girl."

"I just didn't want you to think I was leading Edward on, or that I don't care about his feelings. He's very special to me and I value his friendship. I really like him, and I think we could have a special relationship, but we aren't there yet. I've only known him a week. I'm not ready to make commitments to anyone yet…"

"It's alright, Bella. I understand perfectly what you're going through. I love Edward like he was my own son. I was friends with Elizabeth, his mother, and I was in the hospital the night he was born. I cared for him during his parent's illness. He stayed with us while his parents were in the hospital at the end, and I held him and comforted him when they were gone.

"I've raised him like my own child since he was five years old, so I have his best interests at heart. I know how much Edward cares for you, and I know you could make him very happy.

"On the other hand, I know you need to follow your heart and do what's best for you. Carlisle isn't my first husband. I was married once before."

"You were?" I didn't want to sound shocked, but I knew I did. Carlisle and Esme just seemed so perfect together that I couldn't imagine her married to anyone else.

Esme smiled at me. "Yes, I was. It seems like a lifetime ago now, but I grew up on a farm in rural Ohio. I had dreams and wanted to go to art school, but my parents had other ideas. They arranged a marriage for me when I was the same age as you are now. I was seventeen and sent me off to live with a man I hardly knew to be his wife.

"They didn't have any money to send me to school. They couldn't afford to keep me at home any longer. They considered my dreams to be childish nonsense that I'd outgrow once I had the responsibilities of a wife and mother to occupy my time."

"That's horrible…!" I started, and then stopped when I realized what I was saying. "I'm sorry… That just seems so… old fashioned. I know there are parts of the country where people still hold those sorts of beliefs…"

"Don't apologize so much, Bella. Speak your mind. It was horrible. My husband was demanding and abusive. He treated me like his property, not a person, but I'd been raised to accept a man's judgment and obey his orders. I did my duty as his wife. I hoped to find joy in my children and hoped that I could provide a better life for them than I'd had so they could follow their dreams. In time I got pregnant and had a little boy, but the abuse never stopped.

"I believed I was doing something wrong and deserved to be punished for failing to obey him. I'd been raised to think it was my fault that he was forced to act the way he did. I was wrong, but it took me a long time to come to understand that.

"I finally left him when I realized he was going to be just as abusive to my baby as he was to me. A baby has no control over when he's going to cry or the fact that he has basic needs. He's not being bad or failing to do what he's told, he has no understanding of those concepts that young. That was my wakeup call that my husband was the one who was in the wrong, not me or my baby.

"I walked out with the clothes on my back and my babe in arms with nothing but a thin blanket. I had no money and nowhere to go. I couldn't go back to my parents because they wouldn't understand and would have said I was running away. They would have sent me back to my husband and told me I was in the wrong for leaving no matter how bad it got.

"Those were very tough times for me. I got a part time job, but I had no job skills beyond working on a farm. I was in a strange town and didn't have any friends. Every cent I could scrape together went to paying the rent and babysitters to care for my little boy while I tried to earn a living.

"We didn't make it through the first winter. I had no heat and it was so cold… The baby had a fever, but I had no money to take him to the doctor. He just kind of faded away and there was nothing I could do for him… He died… He was just so small and frail, and there was nothing I could do for him…"

"I'm so sorry, Esme…"

"It was a very long time ago, but it feels like yesterday to me. I was despondent when he passed. I blamed myself for not being a better mother, for not doing more… If I'd stood up to my parents and told them no, then maybe things would have been different… If I'd had some sort of job skills or more education maybe I could have provided a better home…

"I couldn't live with myself after my little boy died… I simply couldn't go on…"

"What did you…?" I started to ask, but she went on without really pausing.

"I tried to take my own life. I went to a high place at the end of a trail where people went to enjoy the view, and I stepped off the edge. I was hoping it would be over quickly and end my suffering. I just wanted to be with my little boy again."

"Oh…"

"I didn't die, though. I wouldn't be here telling you this if I had. People saw me fall and assumed it was an accident. They found me and took me to a hospital. That's where I found Carlisle. He treated me, but he healed more than just my injuries. He cared for me and talked to me and healed the heartache in my soul.

"I knew he was the one for me, the one I was supposed to share my life with, but it didn't happen overnight or in an instant. It took us years to build what we have together, Bella."

"The two of you just seem so perfect and right together."

"Thank you, but believe me when I tell you to take your time and make up your own mind about who you want to be with. Follow your heart and make sure you're making the right decision for you. Don't just jump into something because you think that's what everyone else thinks you should do."

"It's just so hard, though. Edward is great, but I really like both Edward and Jacob… I don't want you to think I'm leading him on or that I don't care about his feelings…"

"You've known him for a week, Bella. I don't expect you to commit to any sort of exclusive full blown relationship, like you're married to him or something when you haven't even been out on a date with him.

"I'm something of a student of history, although that's not my field of professional study. Carlisle encouraged me to go to school once we were together. I've studied dating customs and relationships, and I know something about psychology. The modern concept of dating and going out was invented in the nineteen twenties.

"It was more of a college thing in the twenties and thirties, but girls your age were dating by the forties and fifties. People dated a lot more than they do today and girls went out with a lot of different boys just for fun to get to know them. It wasn't all just hand holding and staring dreamily at each other, either. You could kiss a boy and maybe go parking with him without having to be going steady with him or be boyfriend and girlfriend. There was nothing wrong with that and people didn't look down on you for going out with different boys until you were ready to get serious.

"Things got even looser in the sixties and seventies. Sexual freedom between the sexes probably hit its peak in the seventies, but the AIDS scare in the nineteen eighties and nineties caused things to swing back towards a much more conservative attitude about relationships and dating in general.

"Now in the first decades of the twenty-first century, accepted dating practice has evolved into a kind of serial monogamy, where people enter into exclusive dating relationships before they even know anything about their partner, those relationships run their course, generally end badly, and then they find somebody else to date to start the cycle all over again.

"If they're very very lucky, they might find somebody they're compatible with, but the odds of that happening under the current dating mechanics in this century make it very unlikely. Most people simply aren't exposed to enough potential partners to find the one they click with. It's no wonder so many marriages end in divorce when people don't spend any time really learning about each other before they jump right into getting married.

"Personally, I think that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of, and given my own history, I can't see why young people would want to fall into that trap. There's absolutely nothing wrong with dating two different boys or even more if they ask you out. I'm not going to think less of you because you go on a date with Jacob.

"To tell you the truth, I'd worry more if you didn't date more boys and jumped blindly into some sort of exclusive relationship with Edward. If the two of you decide to make some sort of commitment sometime down the road and decide to go steady and be exclusive, I'll know you're following your heart and not giving in to peer pressure or just doing what everyone else thinks you should do.

"Be true to your own heart, Bella, and follow your dream. If Edward is supposed to be a part of your life, then it'll happen, if he isn't, then it wasn't meant to be."

Most people simply assumed that anyone from the era before they were born in, parents in particular, were all impossibly straight laced, extremely morally conservative and so old fashioned that they were out of step with reality. Esme didn't act like that at all. I could understand now why she didn't mind that Alice and Jasper and Rose and Emmett were together as couples. I didn't know Rose and Emmett's story, but from what Alice had told me about how she met Jasper, I could see why she allowed them share a room.

"Thank you, Esme. This makes me feel a lot better about everything. I was so afraid that you'd think I wasn't doing right by Edward because of what happened last night."

"That was an unfortunate incident but boys will be boys. They're going to clash from time to time because they both want to win your affections. I can understand how frustrating this has to be for Edward."

"I don't want to hurt him…"

"Carlisle and I had a talk with Edward. If he wants you to like him and choose him, fighting with Jacob isn't the answer. He can't make you want him just by running off the competition. He has to win your heart honestly because of who he is. He has to be the person you want to be with because you want him for who he is. Being there for you and caring for your wants and needs will gain him more in the long run than bringing you grief because he's fighting with somebody else you care for."

"Thank you for being so understanding, Esme," I said, feeling much better about this situation.

"You take your time and follow your heart. Don't rush into anything, just be a girl and have some fun. I'm not going to tell you that you're too young to know your own mind. I was married and keeping my own house when I was your age. You'll figure this out and know when you're ready to make up your mind. You've only just even met both of them. You aren't ready to make any permanent life altering decisions. Go on some dates with them, and then you can decide."

"Ok…"

"Was there anything else you needed to discuss?"

"No… I just wanted to clear the air about last night."

"Alright, well you run along and go have lunch with Alice. I'm sure you'll want to talk to Edward. You kids have fun tonight, but don't let them rush you into anything you aren't ready for."

Esme got up, effectively ending the conversation, and I got to my feet as well.

"Thank you so much..." I started.

Esme pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. "You're a lovely girl, Bella, you'll do the right thing, and I'll be alright with that, whatever you decide."

She let me go and I walked out of the room and went to the stairs. I walked down to the first floor, and Edward was sitting with Jasper and Emmett now, playing video games with them.

Edward looked up when I came down the stairs and nodded to acknowledge my presence, but he didn't get up to come greet me or call me over to join them. He looked at me with desire plain on his face, like he wanted to come talk to me, but I got the distinct impression that he was giving me some space after Esme and Carlisle had talked to him about the incident with Jacob. I kept walking and ducked into the dining room and then walked into the kitchen to join Alice.

"There you are," Alice exclaimed when I walked into the kitchen. "I figured Edward had hijacked you and dragged you up to his room to talk."

"No... I saw him with the boys in the other room, but he didn't say anything..."

Alice was keeping it simple. She had sandwich fixings spread across the counter on the central island and was in the process of munching on a sandwich when I walked in. There were a variety of cold cuts, mayo and mustard, a couple of kinds of sliced cheese and a couple of different kinds of bread and rolls.

I grabbed a roll, sliced it open, spread mayo inside and proceeded to make a sandwich. It had been several hours since breakfast, and I was hungry.

"I was upstairs talking to Esme. We had a nice chat, and she put things in perspective for me."

"Did she tell you to dump the Indian and date Edward?" Alice asked.

"No!" I exclaimed, startled at her insensitive comment. "She told me to follow my heart and date both of them until I knew them both better, and then make an informed decision."

"Fine, I guess we're going to drag this out and do it the hard way."

"I'm not ready to decide yet, Alice. You know that. If I started dating either of them exclusively right now, I'd be second guessing myself and playing what if for as long as the relationship lasted. It would act like a wedge and drive us apart. I'm not ready to make commitments yet. I'd probably end up breaking the heart of whoever I decided to be with."

"I guess you're right. I wouldn't want you to pick Edward, and then keep running back to Jacob. Once you finally decide to be with Edward, it should be final."

"Alice! You know, that's not exactly a subtle hint."

"Good, I was hoping you'd figure that out. You know my opinion. Now you just have to make up your mind and agree that I was right all along."

"Give me some time to figure out what I want, and maybe I will. Could you still be my friend if I didn't though?"

"You'll always be my friend, Bella, no matter what you decide. I just have faith that you'll make the right decision."

"Thanks, Alice. So, what's the plan?"

"You like Chinese, right?"

"Yeah, I can do Chinese..."

"Great. There's this awesome little Chinese place right next door to the movie theater. We'll have dinner, and then go to the movies."

"What's playing," I asked.

Alice rattled off the selections. The movies had changed since Jacob and his friends had considered going. There was a romantic comedy, an action adventure and a drama about high school romance, but it was a vampire story too. I didn't see how they could make that work, but it was very popular from the reviews I'd heard.

"Huh, so what's everybody else want to see?"

"Well, the guys are going to want to see the shoot'em up action flick, but they'll go to see whatever we decide on. Rose doesn't really care, so what do you want to see? The vampire love story, or a comedy about some girl who has to decide which guy she's going to date?"

Given those choices, the action adventure didn't sound half bad, but I'd been there in real life, and that was hitting a little close to home. Besides, this was the latest installment in a series of movies, and they had a reputation for being kind of bloody.

"Vampire flick, I guess..." I didn't want to laugh at some girl faced with the dilemma of deciding who to date. It was no laughing matter.

"Fine," Alice said, nodding as she accepted my decision. "I've heard good things about that movie..."

Suddenly the boys all piled into the kitchen, stepping up to the counter and reaching for sandwich fixings.

"I told you I smelled food," Emmett said as he grabbed a big sourdough roll and sliced it open to start stuffing cold cuts inside.

"Which move did you decide on darlin'?" Jasper asked.

"Vampire flick," Alice informed him.

Jasper just nodded, accepting her judgment, and Edward just raised an eyebrow, eyeing me contemplatively while he hung back, waiting his turn to get up to the counter to make a sandwich.

"Seriously?" Emmett whined. "That is such a chick flick! I can feel my balls shrinking, just thinking about it!"

"You don't have to go with us..." Alice said.

"Yeah right, as if that's going to happen. You know Rosie'll go see whatever movie you pick out..."

"And of course you'll go to whatever move she wants to see," Jasper finished for him with a smirk on his face.

I slid off my barstool and made room for Edward to step up to the counter to fix a sandwich. I already had mine and was eating it, and I didn't need to hog counter space when other people hadn't eaten yet.

"Here, Edward, take my spot and make yourself a sandwich..." I offered.

"Thank you, Bella," Edward said and stepped up to fix his sandwich.

"Do you want something to drink, Bella?" Alice asked as she rooted in the mammoth refrigerator.

"Umm... sure." I said. "What have you got, Alice?"

"Dr. Pepper, Pepsi products, fruit juice or water."

"Pepsi for me," I answered.

"leaded or unleaded?"

"Regular is fine. I can't stand the taste of diet pop."

"I hear you girlfriend," Emmett chimed in. "I want the real deal if I'm drinking a soda. I thought all you girls were constantly on a diet or something, though? You drink regular soda?"

"Do I look like I'm on a diet?" I asked as I set my sandwich down to pop the tab on the can of pop Alice handed me. The hoagie I'd been munching on was almost as big as the one Emmett was building.

Emmett looked over at me with a practiced eye. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you'd eat like a bird and leave plenty of birdseed leftover for the rest of the flock. You gonna eat all of that po'boy?"

"I always clean my plate. My mother taught me not to take it if I'm not going to eat it."

"Well, I don't know where you put it, 'cause it's sure not sticking to your ribs, 'course I got nothing against what you've got stuck to your ribs. It's all good."

I blushed and picked up my sandwich, while Edward gave Emmett a dark look.

"Hey, don't go glaring at me and givin' me dirty looks. I know you've already got all the competition you can handle. 'Sides, I'm spoken for," Emmett said, staring back at Edward. Then he looked over at me again."No offense, Bella, but I like hot blonds."

"You better," Rosalie said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Has Alice shown you the rest of the house yet?" Edward asked, turning to me and ignoring Emmett.

"Umm... not yet... I've been upstairs to her room, and I think I know where everyones room is. Is there more to see?"

"Edward wants to give you a guided tour of his bedroom... Ow..." Emmett said suggestively, and then exclaimed when Rosalie smacked him on the back of his head.

"Sometimes you need to learn when to shut up," Rosalie told Emmett.

"Umm... Shouldn't we help clean up?" I asked.

"You two go for a walk and talk," Rosalie said, already starting to clean up and put things away. "I've got this." I noticed she didn't make herself a sandwich. Alice and Jasper were already walking out of the room together and didn't even make an offer to clean up, as though it was the most normal thing in the world for Rosalie to come in and clean up after them.

I turned back to Edward. "Ok, give me the guided tour."

"What would you like to see first?" He asked.

I didn't want to say his bedroom after Emmett's comment, so I just shrugged like it wasn't important. "You're the tour guide. Just start at the bottom and work your way up." I told him.

We wandered outside as I finished my sandwich. Edward offered me a napkin he had to wipe my mouth, and I sipped my pop as we walked and chatted.

The back yard was impressive. There was a huge deck with a view of the river that ran behind the house. Steps led down to a wide expanse of lawn between the house and the river. There were a couple of patio sets on the deck to provide seating next to a built in swimming pool and hot tub. It was set off to the side behind the house, so the windows in the back of the house had a view of the pool and the river and scenic view beyond it.

"You can go for a swim if you like," Edward offered. "The pool and hot tub are heated, and I'm sure Alice will have a suit for you if you want to.."

"Umm... Not today, but I'll consider it for future trips if we make plans..."

"There'll be future visits and plans?" Edward asked.

"Sure... I'd like that, but I'm playing this totally by ear and just following my gut instinct, Edward. Esme told me to follow my heart, so for now, I'm just trying to figure out where it's leading me."

"Ok. I'll accept that for now. Carlisle told me to be a man you could love if I want you to love me, so I won't pressure you, Bella. I just need to be who you need me to be."

"Just be real and genuine with me, Edward. Don't be somebody you aren't because you think that will win me over. Just be you, and if we're good together, we'll figure that out."

Edward smiled. "This will be easier than I expected, because this is who I am. I'm not acting or trying to put on airs. I am just being myself. Am I doing alright so far?"

"This isn't a competition, but yes, you're doing just fine."

We wandered back inside and Edward showed me around the house. We stopped at the piano, and I made him play for me. He was incredibly talented, and I loved his music. Edward was impressed that I recognized the pieces he played and was familiar with the work of the same composers that he liked.

Emmett and Rosalie had disappeared after lunch but Alice and Jasper were sitting in the family room, listening to Edward play while they sat close together on the sofa. Jasper was reading a book, while Alice flipped through the pages of a thick fashion magazine.

I was sitting on the piano bench beside Edward when he decided to continue the tour.

"I'll let you know when we need to leave for dinner," Alice said as Edward took my hand and led me toward the stairs.

"Ok, thanks, Alice," Edward said, and then we went up to the second floor.

Edward showed me Carlisle's study where he had a truly impressive collection of books and artwork. I thought I saw several first editions, and he had numerous antique books. I was surprised some of the collection wasn't in a museum somewhere. There was quite a collection of artwork in the room as well with everything from ancient looking woodcut prints, line drawings, watercolors and some truly magnificent oil paintings.

One wall of the room was dominated by a massive but simple hand carved wooden cross. It looked truly ancient, and I had to ask Edward about it.

"Carlisle's father was an Anglican minister. He carved this cross, and it hung in his church in London. Carlisle managed to acquire the cross before the church was destroyed, and he's kept it for many years as a memento of his past."

"His father carved this? It looks ancient. How old is it?"

"I'm not sure exactly..." Edward said a little defensively. "I know Carlisle said he was just a boy when his father carved it."

I let it go and didn't press for answers, but I knew there was more to the story that he wasn't telling me.

We left the study and were standing in the hallway. "So, what would you like to see next?" Edward asked.

I had a feeling I knew what he was asking. "What is there left to see?" I asked.

"Well, we could go back down to the family room, or I could show you the third floor..."

The only thing I hadn't seen on the third floor was Edward's bedroom. I doubted he try to do anything with his mom and brothers and sisters in the house. Besides, I felt safe with Edward.

"Let's go upstairs," I said.

Edward nodded and led me to the stairway up to the third floor, but this time we turned the other way and walked down the hall to his bedroom. Edward pushed open the door and we went inside. I was expecting him to leave the door open, but he closed it behind us, and we were alone in his room.

Edward's room was huge compared to mine, but it was smaller than Alice's. I supposed that made sense since he was single and didn't share his room with anyone else.

The floor was covered in thick plush gold carpet. His room was above the living room and the back wall of the bedroom was all glass like the back wall on the lower story. There was a black leather sofa against one wall and a large double bed on the opposite wall. There was a dresser and night stand and a desk with his computer and books from school.

A door was open, and I could see a bathroom beyond it, and I assumed the other door was a closet. One entire wall was covered with shelves and held more CDs than a music store. There was a complicated looking professional sound system on a shelf. Another bookcase was loaded full of books and what looked like a row of personal journals.

"You have so much music..." I said a little awestruck at the sheer volume of CDs.

"Would you like to hear something? What should a play?"

"Pick something you like..."

Edward walked to the wall and looked for a minute. "I don't like a lot of eighties music, but this is a classic...

He opened the jewel case and put the CD on. I recognized it. Renee had liked this group. It was _Pictures of You_ by the Cure.

Edward turned to me. "Would you like to dance?" He asked.

"I can't dance..." I said.

"Girls are supposed to like to dance. Anyone can learn to dance, and if Alice can teach you to walk in those shoes, you can learn to dance."

What?! That was impossible! It was practically word for word what Alice had said to me.

"You know, I am going to take you dancing. We can do a movie tonight, but the next time we go out, we're going to go to some clubs."

"How..." It was impossible. He couldn't possibly know what Alice and I had talked about in the car on the ride over. I'd been with Alice constantly since we got here, and she hadn't had two minutes alone with him, let alone enough time to tell him what we'd talked about in the car.

I was so startled I let him take my hand and pull me close. His hand was on my hip and he held my other hand in his, curling his fingers around mine. I placed my free hand on his shoulder, and we were slow dancing in his bedroom before I realized what was happening.

Alice had said he'd find out whether she told him or not. I thought she'd been exaggerating at the time because she intended to tell him, but now I knew she was just telling the truth. There was no way he could have found out what we'd been talking about.

I had to admit, though, this was really kind of nice. I liked being this close to Edward, and I didn't feel awkward at all or like I was going to trip over my own feet. The only problem was my heels sinking into the thick padding of his carpet and I had to pick my feet up too high to move comfortably.

"Ok, this isn't so bad... Hold on for a minute, though..."

Edward stopped dancing and just held me for a minute. I stepped out of my heels, toeing them off, and kicking them out of the way. It was much more comfortable dancing with Edward in my bare feet on the thick carpet in his room.

This was nicer and I laid my head on his shoulder as my hand curled around his neck.

We danced until the song ended, and I was going to step away, but he didn't let me go. Another slow song came on by a group I didn't recognize, but it was a romantic love song, and I just kind of melted against Edward and let him lead me as we kept dancing.

I was getting a little suspicious when the third song came on, and it was _Unchained Melody_ by the Righteous Brothers.

"Ok, where did you get this CD? Was it part of the 'how to pick up girls' package?"

Edward laughed. "No, it's a compilation of ten classic slow dance songs I burned for Esme. She asked for so she can dance with Carlisle when they're alone like this. I liked it, so I made a copy for myself. It appears to be effective though."

"It's not so bad…"

We danced for a few more songs.

Edward kissed my cheek and planted small kisses along the column of my neck. "Would you like to get more comfortable," he asked.

His attentions were not unwelcome. I may have encouraged him by the way I was playing with the short hairs on the back of his neck and caressing his ear. I probably kissed his neck first…

"Ok…" I replied a little breathlessly.

I had sort of expected him to move us to the sofa so we could sit down. I was a little disoriented at first, but I knew we were moving away from the sofa, not closer to it…

I felt Edward crouch slightly, and then his arm was behind my knees and he was effortlessly lifting me into his arms. He deposited me on his bed, and then he was scooting close beside me. I reached down to arrange my skirt to make sure it still covered me, and smoothed it over my legs.

"Edward, I don't…" I started to say as I looked up at him, but my breath caught. He was very close beside me.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked.

"Esme is down stairs... Isn't she going to say something about me being in here like this... Your door is closed..."

"Nobody will disturb us if the door is closed. They'll respect our privacy. Esme doesn't mind as long as you want to be here and you're ok with this. She'll respect your decision as long as it's what you want."

He turned to me, placing his hand back on my hip like when we'd been dancing, and his cheek nuzzled against mine. I could feel his hot breath on my neck and he kissed the hollow beneath my ear.

"Is this ok? Just tell me to back off if you want to stop…" he murmured against my ear.

"No… I'm ok…" I answered a little breathlessly. My heart was pounding in my chest and I could feel the excitement whipping the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy.

His hand was so warm as he caressed my cheek. His finger caught my chin and raised my face so he could look into my eyes. His green eyes were so beautiful. I could smell his sweet breath, and then he was moving closer. His lips touched mine and then he was kissing me.

My fingers knotted into his hair as I pulled him closer. I eagerly returned the pressure of his lips on mine and I was kissing him back.

In some unimportant part of my mind, I realized Alice would be angry with us as Edward's hand moved into my hair, cradling my head, ruining hours of careful styling, but I really didn't care. I knew I was going to have to fix my makeup before we left, but I didn't give it a second thought as I tilted my head to improve the angle and keep our noses from bumping.

His hand had moved back onto my hip and was stroking my thigh, but he wasn't trying to hike up my skirt. He pulled me closer, and his hand stroked my butt and his strong hands closed on my ass cheek, massaging and kneading my flesh.

It amazed me that I liked it so much and didn't mind his hands on my body. If anything, I wished he'd do more, but I was comfortable with the pace things were moving at.

Edward sucked my lower lip between his briefly, and I felt the tip of his tongue swipe across my lip, tasting me. My lips parted and I felt the tip of his tongue between my lips. The tip of my tongue touched his and electricity exploded through my body, flashing up and down my spine and tingling in my toes and fingertips.

His tongue slipped into my mouth, swirling with mine and the taste and sensation was incredible. It was slick and sweet and velvety and absolutely incredible.

I wanted so much more... I wanted Edward, and I knew he wanted me, but I didn't try to push his limits. I could feel he was holding back and trying to respect me while he plundered my mouth and devoured my lips. I was ok with this, and we lay on his bed kissing and making out like a couple of teenagers.

I suppose that was appropriate because we were a couple of teenagers, and as far as I was concerned, I was feeling the first stirrings of passion as I reveled in the sensation of Edward's lips greedily pressed to mine and our tongues wrestling back and forth as we teased and explored and experimented.

Time seemed to slip away as I lay in Edward's arms, kissing him and making out with him on his bed. He didn't try anything I wasn't comfortable with, and seemed content to kiss me and let me set the pace once his tongue was in my mouth.

I was considering getting a bit more physical and touching him more so he'd feel he could touch me more...

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Edward..." Alice's voice came from the hallway, raised loud enough so we could hear her through the door.

Edward broke the kiss and half-way rolled away from me. "Yes, Alice," Edward called back with out getting up or moving to open the door.

"We need to be on the road in thirty minutes to get there in time for our dinner reservation. Bella needs to call Charlie and tell him where she's going, and she needs to fix her makeup and hair before we leave."

"Alright, Alice, Thanks for letting us know."

Edward turned back to me and leaned into me like he was going to kiss me again and pick up where he'd left off when we'd been interrupted.

I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him away, and he stopped moving. "Edward! Alice is right. I need to get ready if we're going with them."

"Do you want to go with them?"

"Well, you haven't exactly asked me. I can tag along with Alice and Jasper if you don't want to go..."

"I was enjoying what we were doing, but I want to take you out. Will you have dinner with me, and allow me to escort you to the movies, Bella?"

"Ok. Considering we've had it planned most of the day, I love to go to dinner with you."

Edward got up, and then offered me his hand to help me up from his bed. My clothes were a little rumpled, but nothing serious, and I could smooth them out.

"Can I use your bathroom?" I asked.

"Please, feel free to do anything you need to do or use anything you can find."

I walked into the bathroom. It was huge compared to the tiny bathroom Charlie and I shared. There was a marble counter along one wall and a huge mirror panel that covered the entire wall above the counter. The floor was large golden tan ceramic tile, and there was a separate shower and whirlpool bath.

I stepped up to the mirror, and the damage wasn't too terrible. Nothing I couldn't fix in a couple of minutes, but I was going to need my purse.

I stepped to the door into Edward's room, and was treated to the sight of his bare broad shoulders and back as he pulled off his t-shirt and changed into a nice button down dress shirt to go out. My breath caught as I stood staring, and he smiled as he turned to face me and saw the look of undisguised lust on my face.

"Umm... I need my purse from Alice's room..." I said. I didn't want to walk down to get it because anyone in his family who looked at me would know how I'd mussed my makeup and hair.

Edward nodded. "I'll get it." He said.

He wasn't quite to the door when there was a knock at the door again. He cracked the door open, and I saw Alice's hand pass my purse through and hand it to him.

Sometimes I swear I thought Alice was psychic or could read minds. Edward just stepped across the room and handed it to me.

"Thank you," I said and stepped back into the bathroom to get ready to go.

First I took out my phone and speed dialed Charlie. I had to let him know my plans had changed so he wouldn't worry about me.

"_Chief Swan_," Charlie answered the phone.

"Hey, Charlie, it's Bella."

"_Hi, Bella,_" Charlie said. "_Are you having fun with Alice?_"

"Yeah... We've been having a great time. The Cullens house is amazing, and we did each others nails..."

Charlie chuckled. "_That's great, Bella. So what did you need. Are you still planning on being home before midnight?_"

"Yes, but our plans have changed. We're going to go to Port Angeles for dinner, and then go to the movies."

"_Just you and Alice?_"

"No... All of us are going, all of us kids. Me and Alice and Rosalie, and Jasper, Emmett and Edward."

"_Alright... So, are you going out with Edward then..._"

"Well, it kind of works out that way, but we're all just going as a group..."

"_Alright. I'll let it go this time because you're all going together, but remember what I told you. I want to meet any boys you decide to go on dates with._"

"Ok, Charlie, thanks. I'll be home before my curfew."

"_Ok, Bella. Have fun, and thank you for calling and letting me know._"

I ended the call quickly before he changed his mind or asked any questions I didn't want to answer. So far I'd been up front with Charlie about everything, and I didn't want to have to start lying to him. It looked like I was going to have to invite Edward over for dinner so Charlie could give him the third degree.

I put my phone away and brushed my hair and fixed my makeup. It was mostly ok, but I touched up with some powder from my compact and reapplied my lipstick. I smoothed out my clothes, and then shut the door to answer natures call. It was any hour drive to Port Angeles, and I didn't think I'd last that long if I tried to hold it.

I washed and dried my hands and Edward was waiting for me when I walked back into his room. He excused himself to wash up .

Edward took my hand when he came out of the bathroom, and we walked down stairs to find the rest of the kids. We found Alice and the rest gathered in the kitchen waiting for us.

"There you are," Emmett said when we walked in. "I thought we were gonna have to break down the door and send in a search party. What were you two up to that took you so long?" He asked suggestively.

Edward just glared at him, but everyone pretty much ignored him.

Alice turned to look at me. She just sighed and shook her head. "Rose and Emmett are going to ride with me and Jasper. Are you ok with riding with Edward, Bella?"

"Umm... sure... that's fine with me. Are we going to be back before midnight? That's my curfew, otherwise I need to call Charlie and let him know I'll be later."

"That should be fine," Alice said.

"Our dinner reservation is at six o'clock," Jasper said. "The movie plays at seven-twenty. We should be on the road home by ten at the very latest. That gives you at least two hours to get home, and it's only an hour trip. The way Edward drives, less than an hour. You should have no problem getting home on time."

I nodded and everyone started to head out to the garage.

Rose reached out and placed her hand on my arm as we were walking past. "Bella, could I speak to you for a minute?" She said.

I looked at her surprised. Rose usually avoided me, and rarely spoke to me. When she did, she usually appeared hostile, like she didn't like me, although she was cordial when she had to deal with me even if she didn't pretend to be my friend.

"Rose, this isn't the time," Edward said. "Let it go."

"You know I'm only looking out for your best interests. Esme and Carlisle are my friends, and I don't want to see them get hurt. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Nothing is going to happen to me."

"You don't know that. Go get in the car. We'll be out in a minute."

Rose kind of came off as the older sister, like she was the oldest of the siblings and the one left in charge when the parents were away. She was a senior this year, so I knew she was at least a year older than Edward.

He let go of my hand and walked out to the garage with the others. Rose waited until he was out of earshot before she turned back to me.

"Edward can't hear either of us." She said it like she implied he would have been able to hear anybody else but us, despite the fact that he was in the garage.

"What's this about, Rosalie?" I asked.

"Please, call me Rose. Everybody else does."

"Ok..."

"I need to know that you aren't going to allow anything to happen to Edward, Bella."

"Happen to Edward? What are you talking about..."

"Why do you have a gun in your purse?"

I'd left my purse in Alice's room when I went downstairs for lunch. Usually I took my pistol out and hid it in my car, but Alice had come to pick me up. I hadn't thought anyone would go through my purse. To be honest I hadn't really given it much thought. I just put it in my purse as a matter of course when I was leaving the house.

"You went through my purse?" I asked indignantly. She had no right to search my things.

"Actually no, I didn't even go into Alice's room. I've known about it for some time now. It set off the metal detectors in our security system the last time you were here."

"Oh..." I'd never considered the fact that they might have some sort of advanced security system in the house, but then people with their kind of money couldn't take chances.

"Alice can take care of herself. I don't mind her spending time in your company, but Edward is vulnerable when he's alone with you. You're going to be alone together in a car for an hour each way. That's dangerous. I need to know Edward is going to be safe with you."

"Why wouldn't he be safe with me?"

"You're carrying a gun in your purse. People who become associated with you tend to disappear or die.

"There is no public record of a Renee Dwyer dying in an automobile accident. In fact, there is no record at all that Renee Dwyer is even deceased.

"The official police report states that Phillip Dwyer was murdered, but does not list it as a home invasion robbery.

"The public record for one Isabella Marie Swan did not exist before November twenty-sixth of this year.

"There are numerous APBs from a variety of law enforcement agencies for one Isabella Marie Dwyer. I've seen the video from the convenience store incident."

"Oh..." Rose knew who I was. She knew all the lies that had been planted about me. If I was smart, I'd run and leave forks long behind me... "Those are all lies, Rose. None of it happened like they say..."

What she said next startled me.

"That may be true. Both Carlisle and Esme have requested that I keep this information confidential. They wish to give you the benefit of the doubt. Neither of them trust the official public record. On the other hand, I will not see Esme hurt again. She's already lost one son. If anything happens to Edward, I will hold you personally responsible. Are we clear?"

"Yes... I won't allow him to be hurt. I like him, Rose..."

"You like the Quileute boy as well, and you tend to vacillate in your affections. So far there is insufficient data to form a conclusive prognosis of the eventual result of your mating activity. Regardless, you will protect Edward Cullen at all costs, or I will override Carlisle's directives. I do not wish to involve law enforcement, but I know you'll be forced to leave if they learn of your where abouts, understood?"

"I get it. I won't let anything happen to him."

Rose nodded. "He's waiting for you. Go to him. Know that I'll be watching you."

"How do you know I won't just run for it?"

"You're tired of running. You've found your father, and you want to be able to settle down for a while. Maybe he'd be willing to run with you, but you don't want to do that to him. You know what will happen to him. You want to keep him safe and try to lead a normal life. I can facilitate that end if you're a good girl and don't cause trouble."

"Why are you doing this Rose? If you believe all those things about me, why don't you just run me off?"

"I thought I was clear about that. Carlisle and Esme have requested that I give you the benefit of the doubt unless you prove to be a liability. Alice trusts you, and you're the best chance Edward has at forming a normal mating relationship. The Quileute is a problem, but you could be good for Edward if you prove trust worthy."

"You don't trust me. Is this why Jasper gives me such odd looks? He knows and he's afraid I might hurt Alice?"

"Jasper is extremely protective of Alice. He will not allow her to be hurt, but she can take care of herself."

She didn't really answer my question, but I had to assume he knew. It made me wonder how much Edward knew. It made me wonder if I should just forget this and run like hell. At least Rose hadn't dropped a dime on me yet. She hadn't called the police or the FBI to report me. She was just threatening to if I stepped out of line. At least she wasn't making any demands beyond making sure I'd look out for Edward, and make sure he didn't get hurt. I would have done that regardless.

Her attitude made me wonder just what was in my official record, and what the lies about me claimed I'd done. I knew they were trying to hang Phil's death on Renee and I, and they'd painted the convenience store incident as a failed robbery attempt where five innocent bystanders were killed. Now that Renee was dead, they were probably trying to pin that on me too, when I'd been on bus in another state when it happened.

"Just so we're clear, you're not going to make that phone call as long as nothing happens to Edward, right? I'm certainly not going to hurt him, and if the assholes looking for me show up, I won't let them hurt him either, but sometimes bad things just happen."

"Well cross that bridge when we come to it. Otherwise, your terms are acceptable."

"Why are you telling me all of this? Nothing has changed except now I know you're holding something over me."

"I needed to hear your answers to gage how safe it is to allow you to be alone with Edward. I love Edward like a brother, and I care deeply for Esme and Carlisle. I cannot allow any of them to be hurt.

There was the sound of a car horn honking from outside, and I knew we'd been talking for too long.

"You better go now. I'm sure Alice thinks you're going to be late. I'll see you in Port Angeles." and with that, Rose turned and walked out of the kitchen.

I was startled by her abrupt departure and hurried to keep up with her. The cars were idling on the driveway when we got outside. Alice got out to allow Rose to slide into the back seat of the silver gray Camaro that Jasper was driving.

Edward was standing next to the passenger door of his Volvo, He opened the door for me when I got to the car, and then closed it for me when I was inside. I fastened my seatbelt as he trotted around to the driver side and got in.

"What did Rose want?" Edward asked as he fastened his own seatbelt and started down the driveway. Jasper let Edward take the lead and the Camaro dropped back behind us.

"She just wanted to have a chat."

"You're upset. What did she say to you?"

"She loves you. She just wants to make sure I'm not going to hurt you. I guess Charlie wants to meet you too. He wants to talk to you before he'll let me go out with you."

"You're going out with me tonight. This doesn't count?"

"He's letting me get away with it because we're all going out together. He wants to meet you before we go out again. If there is an again..."

"There will be as long as you say yes. So when do you want me to meet your father?"

"Let me talk to him and figure out his schedule. Sometimes he works late. I was thinking you could come over for dinner one night if you'd like, and then the two of you could talk."

"That's fine. Just let me know when. You have the wrestling schedule, so you know which nights I'm available."

"I'm really sorry about all of this, Edward. He's probably going to interrogate you, and ask all kinds of embarrassing questions. It just seems so old fashioned to me."

"He's your father and he cares about you. I'm sure he worries about you. He wants to know that you're going to be safe with me. He wants assurances that I'll respect you and that I won't do anything to hurt you. He has nothing to worry about in any of those regards, but he has to meet me to know that and trust me. I welcome the opportunity to speak with him."

"Ok. I guess I'm glad you sound so confident about meeting him. He is the chief of police, Edward. That doesn't scare you even a little bit?"

"If it's what I have to do to be able to see you and take you out, then why would it scare me. You're more than worth it, and your father has absolutely nothing to worry about."

"Father's worry about exactly what we were doing before we left even happening, Edward. They worry about relationships getting physical. They don't want to think about their little girls doing those things with some boy."

"And what about you? Are you worried about the relationship getting physical? Do you want to do those things with a boy? Maybe this boy?"

"I want those things... when I'm ready for them. I've never done any of them... Today was more than I've ever done with anyone..."

"You're still sitting beside me talking to me. You're ok with that right? I don't want to push you into doing anything you aren't ready for. Just tell me to slow down or back off, and I will, Bella. I mean it when I say I don't want to hurt you."

"You're doing just fine. You push my boundaries, but so far it's a good thing. Just keep doing what you're doing, and I'll let you know when to stop, ok?"

"Alright. So, what kind of Chinese food do you like?" Edward asked, changing the subject again.

"There's more than one kind?" I asked.

"There are several varieties. To make it a bit simpler, do you prefer it spicy hot or a bit more on the savory and mild side?"

_To be continued..._

**Author's note:**

Some of you have commented that you think Bella, in this story, is immature and making bad decisions. This is intentional, it shows me I'm getting it right.

In this story, this Bella is immature. She's seventeen, she's had no real role models at this point, she's never been in this type of situation and never experienced anything like this before, and she's learning the hard way.

She's going to make a lot of mistakes before we get to a very messy resolution forty or so chapters from now. She's going to find it very difficult to stay away from Jacob and get way too close for reasons that haven't been explained yet while also getting closer to Edward.

Without giving too much away, there's more going on than her just not being able to make up her mind.

I'm also posting chapter 28 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think.


	14. Movie Night

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 14 Movie Night

The trip to Port Angeles flew by. Edward lost Jasper's Camaro in the trees in the forest on our way out to the highway. We turned onto Highway 101 heading north, and I kept glancing in the mirror on the side of the car, but I never saw them behind us. They never caught up, and I knew they hadn't passed us because they never caught up.

There was only one highway to get to Port Angeles. You had to take Highway 101 north to Crescent Lake, and then turn east until the freeway ran through Port Angeles and then Sequim before swinging south along the eastern side of the peninsula. There was no shortcut or alternate route unless you went south out of forks and took the southern route all the way around the south side of Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest, but that would take hours.

I had a sneaking suspicion that this whole dinner thing had been a ruse to allow Edward to take me out. I wasn't opposed to that, but it meant I was lying to Charlie, and I didn't like that. I would have said yes if he would have simply asked me. He didn't need to involve his brothers and sisters in some sort of elaborate scheme to get me alone. I'd been alone with him all afternoon in his bedroom, and I was looking forward to being alone with him again after the movie.

Edward did drive very fast though, almost dangerously fast. I knew I could probably protect us if we had an accident, but my shield couldn't cushion the effects of inertia. It was kind of like falling off a building. The fall didn't kill you, it was the sudden stop at the bottom that did all the damage. A car wreck was the same way. I could prevent the car from being smashed, but my shield wouldn't prevent us from being thrown against our seatbelts or hitting the inside of the car if we stopped suddenly. Smacking his head on the steering wheel could still do a lot of damage if he lost it and wrecked the car.

I had good reason to worry about Edward's driving. Neither of us was invulnerable, and while I might be able to minimize the damage, hitting a tree at eighty or ninety miles an hour would seriously ruin our night.

Fortunately, we made it to Port Angeles unscathed, although my nerves were a little rattled from gripping the armrest with white knuckles for almost an hour. I was sure I'd left permanent dents in the armrest and damaged the upholstery with my death grip on the seat.

Jasper had never caught up to us, and I'd looked for his car on the log straightaways as we cruised across the northern edge of the peninsula.

"So are we on our own now?" I asked as we drove through the streets of Port Angeles. I saw the movie theater up ahead, and Alice had said the restaurant was next door.

"What do you mean, Bella? We're going to dinner with my family…"

"I haven't seen Jaspers car since we left the house. Was this just some trick to get me alone? All you had to do was ask and I would have said yes..."

"That's good to know. I drove as fast as I could to get here on time, but I had to back off because the speed seemed to upset you. Hopefully they haven't started without us."

"That was you taking it easy? You never drove under eighty the whole way here! There's no way they could have beat us here. They never passed us..."

Jasper's Camaro was parked in the parking lot when Edward pulled in. Edward pulled up beside it and parked his car next to Jasper's car.

"That's impossible! There is no way possible they beat us here."

"Ok... Shall we go inside?"

I just nodded as I started to take off my seatbelt. Edward got out of the car first as I fumbled with mine. He opened my door for me, and offered me his hand to help me out of the car. He kept hold of my hand as we walked across the parking lot. Edward opened the door and held it for me as we walked into the lobby of the restaurant.

Alice and the others were nowhere to be seen. I felt a minor sense of vindication. It had to be another silver gray Camaro that just looked like Jaspers.

Edward stepped up to the hostess podium. "Cullen, party of six, we're meeting the rest of our group."

"Yes, Sir, The rest of your part has already been seated. If you'll follow me, please, I'll take you to your table."

The hostess led us through the restaurant to a private dining room. She slid a panel in the wall open and we walked inside. Alice and Jasper and Rose and Emmett were all seated at the table, engaged in conversation and laughing at some joke.

"Well, it's about time you got here," Emmett said with a smirk as we walked in. "What, did you pull over to park on the way out? I thought you were just going to blow off supper, and we'd have to bring you back a doggy bag."

Rose smacked him on the back of the head again. "Be nice, they're here now. Did you have a pleasant trip?" Rose asked.

"It was ok..." I didn't want to complain about Edward's driving. We'd left at the same time, and they'd beat us here. It looked like they'd been here for a while. They'd already been served an appetizer and had drinks. Jasper, Alice and Rose were drinking tea, and Emmett had a glass of pop.

"I hope you like Schezwan," Alice said. "I went ahead and ordered the dinner for six."

I'd told Edward I liked the spicy Chinese food, but it had to be a lucky guess on Alice's part. He hadn't called her to tell her what to order.

"That's fine," I said as Edward held my chair and I sat down at the table. "I like it a little hot and spicy."

I saw Emmett open his mouth to make a comment, but Edward glared at him, and Rose just said, "Emmett, be nice, or so help me, you're going to have a bruise on the back of your head before this night is over."

"Fine. I like it hot and spicy too," He said with a smirk.

I blushed anyway, even though the innuendo wasn't exactly directed at me, and picked up an egg roll to munch on.

"Is tea ok, Bella?" Jasper asked, or should we call the waitress?"

"No, hot tea is fine, thank you."

Jasper nodded and poured me a cup. I picked it up to sip it while he poured tea for Edward as well.

Dinner was fun, and the food was spicy and hot. We laughed and told jokes, and I tried to put the conversation I'd had with Rose out of my mind, but it nagged at me. I found myself watching her through dinner.

She didn't eat. Not a bite. She put token portions of food on her plate and pushed them around with her chopsticks. Occasionally she'd pick something up and hold it, but it went back onto the plate and not into her mouth. She pretended to sip her tea, but her cup was never empty, and she never had to refill it.

The more I thought about it, I had never seen Rose eat. Not one bite. I had thought it was diet to keep her figure trim, but this went way beyond watching what you ate to stay slim and trim. She didn't appear to be sick, and she wasn't so thin that she looked anorexic.

I ate like a horse, and I was borderline anorexic, but I managed to keep my body mass a couple of pounds over the threshold. The more I used my powers, the harder that got. I didn't want to have to chug ensure or protein shakes on top of eating three or four full meals a day, but the older I got, the more it looked like I might have to do that to keep my energy up and my body mass within safe limits. Otherwise I could literally waste away to nothing.

Between me and Emmett, there weren't any leftovers.

I got up with Alice and Rose after dinner, and we excused ourselves to go to the ladies room. I walked to the sink and washed my hands and touched up my makeup. Alice and Rose followed suit, although Rose still looked beyond perfect.

"All my hard work and Edward had to go and muss it up before we ever even made it out of the house," Alice said wistfully as she touched up her lipstick.

"That was kind of the point, wasn't it? It looked really great, Alice. Thank you."

"Edward would have still dragged you into his room to make out, if you were wearing no makeup at all and had total bed head. He's a guy. They don't really care, so we might as well look pretty because it makes us feel good."

"It was pretty. I liked it. We can do it again sometime."

"Thanks, Bella."

"So how did you guys get here before us?" I asked. "I know we were in front of you, and Edward never drove slower than eighty the whole way..."

"Really?" Rose said dryly. "I'm going to have to have a talk with him about that."

Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Rose was the older sister, but I didn't think she'd rat him out to Carlisle and Esme.

"Umm... Ok, so how did you get here first? You had to have beaten us by twenty minutes or so, and that's impossible.

Alice shrugged. "I showed Jasper a shortcut."

"There aren't any shortcuts, Alice. I can read a map."

She shrugged again. "Not all the shortcuts are on the map."

"You're going to have to show me that shortcut. I'd like to be able to drive to Port Angeles in half an hour."

"Maybe I will someday. For now, we better get back out to the boys, or we're going to miss the start of the movie."

I nodded and we walked back to the private dining room. The boys had paid the check and were ready to go when we got there. We walked outside and left the cars parked where they were and walked next door to the movie theater.

Edward bought our tickets and we went inside to the lobby. There was a short line at the concession stand, but everyone in line decided to do something different for some reason as we got in line and we simply walked right up to the counter. Edward bought us a large tub of popcorn with extra butter. I got a large Pepsi and Edward bought us a large sack of malt chocolate balls. He got a bottle of water for himself.

Emmett got a large popcorn and a large drink too, but Rose, Alice and Jasper didn't get anything. I could see Alice glancing at my popcorn and candy a little wistfully, as though she wanted some but knew better. I knew she watched what she ate and counted calories. She was in great physical shape, and wanted to stay there.

We walked into the theater and it wasn't crowded despite being Saturday night. The building was old, but it looked like it had been recently renovated with modern seats. I let Edward choose were we sat, and he picked out a couple of seats in the back of the theater. The other couples spread out and gave us some space, but Alice and Jasper were sitting a couple of seats over in the same row. Rose and Emmett sat in the middle of the theater, a couple of rows in front of us.

Edward pushed up the arm rest between us so we could sit side by side without obstruction. I set my purse and the candy in the seat beside me and there were cup holders for our drinks.

I sat patiently waiting for the lights to go down while I munched on the popcorn. Edward tried a little popcorn, but I'd put a serious dent in it before the lights went down and the coming attractions trailers started. It looked like there were some really good summer movies coming up, and I looked forward to spending more Friday and Saturday nights here.

He waited until the lights dimmed before he put his arm around my shoulders, and I snuggled closer into his side. This was nice, sitting like this, letting him hold me as we watched the trailers and then the movie.

The movie was good, even if the story was a little farfetched; seriously, a family of teenaged vampires that fits into society by repeating high school over and over again in different cities? The girl in the story was seriously nuts, but seemed to really fall for the hot vampire guy.

Edward let me eat most of the popcorn, and then I set the tub in the seat with my purse part way into the film.

Edward seemed to take that as a signal that I was ready to carry-on from where we'd left off in his bedroom this afternoon. He moved closer, and I felt his lips nip at my earlobe as his hot breath fanned across my throat. I glanced to the side at Alice and Jasper. I was pretty sure I was going to have to explain what the movie had been about to her. They certainly weren't watching it.

I felt his lips kiss my neck and nuzzle up to my ear. "You aren't watching the movie," Edward whispered into my ear, sending tingles down my spine and raising goose bumps on my arms.

I turned back towards Edward, resting my forehead against his as he leaned into me. "Neither are they..." I whispered back.

He glanced past my shoulder, and then chuckled quietly. "We'll rent the video..." he breathed, and then closed the little distance between us, pulling me closer.

His lips touched mine and electricity flashed down my spine and tingled in the pit of my stomach and the tips of my toes. His kiss was soft and gentle and I wanted more.

I turned to improve the angle and moved closer. My arms snaked around his neck as my fingers knotted in his hair. I kissed him back, sucking his lip between mine.

His tongue slid silkily along my teeth, and then my tongue was tangling with his as the kiss deepened and grew more passionate. His hand moved back into my hair, cradling my head and holding me while he kissed me harder.

I caught snippets of the movie as we made out in the theater, but not really enough to seriously follow the plot or even tell what the rest of the story was about. I was much too wrapped up in Edward and his tongue in my mouth to care about what was happening on the screen.

He was still holding back, and I so wanted him to touch me, but he didn't try to push past what we had done in his bedroom. His hands were on my hips and my back. He'd touch my arms and my face and twined his fingers in mine. He'd run his fingers through my hair, but he didn't even try to touch my chest, let alone try to get under my shirt.

I had certainly run my hands all over his chest and stomach and back, and I knew he had crazy definition in his chest and six pack abs. I seriously wanted to touch him without his shirt in the way.

Of course, maybe it was a good thing that he was gentleman enough to not try to feel me up at the movies. We were in a public place after all, and were seriously involved in a pretty blatant public display of affection as it was, but I wouldn't have told him no or slapped his hands away if he'd just gone for it. I was literally aching for him to touch me.

I realized people were talking, and people were standing up in the aisles. Then the lights came up, and suddenly the movie was over. Time had completely slipped away from me.

I hastily sat back up, pulling away from Edward, while self-consciously straightening my clothes. I collected my things from the empty seat beside me and Edward took my empty cup and the popcorn tub to throw them in the trash.

"I'm going to go to the ladies room," I told him as we walked out of the aisle and started down the stairs.

Edward just nodded, and then Alice came up beside me, and grabbed my arm. "I'm coming too," She said.

"Ok, did you enjoy the movie?" I asked.

Alice chuckled. "There was a movie? You'll have to tell me what it was about," she said.

"We'll have to compare notes with Rose. I think she saw more of it than I did."

"We can watch the DVD when it comes out in video," Rose said as she joined us and we went to the ladies room.

I ducked into one of the stalls and answered natures call. It had been a very large cup of pop, and it was an hour back to Forks. Once we left Port Angeles, there was no gas station to pull over at until we got back to Forks.

Rosalie was fixing her makeup when I came out, and I stepped up to the sink wash my hands. I still couldn't believe how perfect Rose was. Even mussed and manhandled, she still looked incredible as she touched up her lipstick. I fixed my hair, and then checked my makeup. It wasn't too much worse for wear as cleaned up the smudges and reapplied my lipstick.

"So, you and Edward seem to be hitting it off," Rose said. "Does this mean you've made up your mind and we'll be seeing more of you?"

"I like Edward, but I'm still not ready to make any commitments. One date isn't enough to build a relationship on."

"You're stubborn and tenacious. I guess that's better than being flighty and simply jumping in with both feet, only to change your mind later. I'm assuming this mean that once you've made up your mind that you don't change it easily, and you stick to your guns?"

"Yeah... Pretty much."

"That's a plus. Be good to my little brother. I wouldn't want to have to hurt you."

"Thanks Rose..."

Rose nodded and walked out of the bathroom.

"Don't mind Rose, Bella. That's high praise from her. She'll come around. She's just super overprotective of our family, Edward in particular, because he's been with them the longest."

"How did Rose join the family, Alice?"

"It's a really long story. I can't go into it now, we don't have time. Are you ready? The boys are waiting for us."

Alice was avoiding the subject and didn't want to tell me. I knew something strange was going on, but I let it go for now and didn't press the issue. Alice and I followed Rose back out into the lobby and met the boys. They were waiting for us and I went to Edward. He draped his arm around my waist and pulled me close as we turned and walked toward the door.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Sure, I suppose we should get going." I guess I sounded a little disappointed.

It wasn't quite half past nine. The next showing of the movie played at nine thirty-five, and it was only an hour drive back to Forks. If Edward raced home like he had on the way out here, I'd be home by ten thirty. I wasn't ready to say goodnight or for the night to end yet, but I didn't want to seem too eager and tell Edward that.

Edward led me to his car and opened the passenger door for me. He handed me into the car, and them closed my door for me before trotting around to get in and fasten his seatbelt.

We started home, and I was quiet while he drove through the light city traffic. I waited until we were on the highway to ask my question.

"Edward, how did Rosalie join your family?"

"It's a very long story, Bella..." Edward said, trying to put me off as Alice had.

"It's a long ride to Forks. I'm not going anywhere. I've got time to listen to a long story."

"It's Rose's story to tell. You really should ask her about it. All of us try to respect her privacy."

"Ok. How long has she been with Carlisle and Esme?"

"A very long time. She's always been with them, for as long as I can remember."

"But I thought you had been with them the longest? Did the two of you grow up together?"

"Not really... You really should talk to Rose about this, Bella."

"I'm just curious. I've noticed some odd things about Rose, and then we had that conversation this afternoon. At first I thought she hated me, or was at least indifferent to me. I realize now that she's just very overprotective."

"Rose looks out for all of our best interests."

"Ok. I get that. She hasn't decided if I'm a big enough threat to run off yet or not. Apparently she's allowing me to hang around because you like me."

"Really, I wasn't aware of that. I'll have to talk to her about that."

"I've noticed some really odd things about Rose, Edward..."

"What sorts of things?"

"Nobody human is that incredibly perfect. She's too beautiful and doesn't have a single flaw..."

"Really, Bella? I only have eyes for you, and I think of her as a sister..."

"I'm serious, Edward. I'm not being self-conscious, and I don't feel threatened by her beauty, although I know I'm not even close to being in her league. Nobody is that good looking all the time."

"Ok, so she's not hard on the eyes. That's odd?"

"It's unnatural. There's more..."

"Ok..."

"She doesn't eat, Edward..."

"A lot of girls diet to watch their weight. Luckily that doesn't seem to be an issue for you. You have a very healthy appetite, but you manage to keep your girlish figure."

"She isn't on a diet, Edward. She doesn't eat. At all. Ever. I've never seen a single bite of food pass her lips. She was pretending to eat at dinner tonight. She wasn't even really drinking the tea."

"Bella..."

"Come on, tell me you've noticed it too..."

I was staring at Edward, trying to gage his reaction. He knew what was going on, but he didn't want to tell me. He was guarding Roses secrets, and he didn't want to tell me what was really going on.

I was startled by my cell phone suddenly ringing in my purse. I wondered who could possibly be calling me right now. Maybe Charlie was checking up on me...

I fished my phone out of my purse and looked at the caller ID. It had to be a total coincidence.

"Hello?" I said as I flipped the phone open to accept the call and held it to my ear.

"_Stop pestering Edward with questions about me, Bella,_" Rose said over the phone.

"How... Do you have his car bugged too? How paranoid are you?" I asked.

"_Paranoid enough, and no, the car isn't bugged. Now, leave Edward alone. If you have questions for me, then ask me, not Edward or Alice. We'll sit down and talk when I know I can trust you with the answers you want. Until then, you're on probation. Step out of line and I'll slap you down so hard it'll make your head spin. Now be good girl and leave my little brother alone. Enjoy your ride home._"

The call abruptly ended, suddenly cut off as she hung up.

"How... She can still hear us, can't she?"

"Yes."

"And you're ok with that?"

Edward shrugged. "You get used to it. She means well. She just wants to keep me safe."

"You know what she wanted to talk to me about before we went to dinner." It was a statement, not a question.

"I don't know what she said to you."

"You know what she wanted to discuss. You know about me. My history and the lies they're telling about me."

"Yes."

"And you still want to be with me?"

"I know they're lies, Bella."

"They're not all lies. There have been things I was forced to do…"

"Self-defense isn't a crime. Charlie wouldn't have let you come live with him if you'd done everything they say. He may be your father, but he believes in the spirit of the law. He would have surrendered you if you were a criminal."

I wanted to ask the next question, but I didn't. I knew it would drive us apart. I wanted to ask if he knew why they were hunting me, but I couldn't bring myself to ask him. I wanted to maintain the illusion that I was just a girl and he was just a boy for as long as I could. I could at least have the rest of tonight before reality intruded upon my happiness again.

"Thank you..."

"I care about you, Bella. I know we could be so good together."

"This can't last, Edward. They're going to catch up with me eventually. This is destined to end... badly..."

"It doesn't have to. We can protect you. My family has resources..."

"Let's not talk about it, ok? I want this night to be about us, ok?"

I didn't want him to delude himself into thinking this could have a happy ending. There was only one way this was going to end, with a bullet and six feet of dirt. The only question was how many of the bastards would I take with me when they found me. I wasn't going to sell my life cheap. Surrender was a death sentence, so I knew I was going to fight to the bitter end. It was just a question of when and where.

~o~MTH~o~

We drove in silence for a long time. I didn't notice the trees whipping past outside the window if I didn't look. I tried not to look at the speedometer, because it made me nervous. Edward wasn't holding down his speed like he had on the trip out, and I knew we were getting close to Forks.

I looked up when I felt him brake and slow down, expecting to see the bridge across the river at the edge of town.

We were still on the highway and Edward was signaling to turn off the main road, but I knew the road wasn't the turnoff to the Cullens house.

"Where are we going?" I asked as Edward crossed the highway and drove down a dark road that led east into the forest.

"There's a place up here with a view of the river. I thought we could sit and talk for a while. I can drive you home if you're ready for me to take you home...

"No, this is fine. Thank you..."

"What are you thanking me for, Bella?"

"For treating me like I matter."

"You're all that matters, Bella, don't you realize that?"

"No... Nobody has ever treated me like this..."

"Well, then they were idiots."

Edward had driven back into the forest. We'd followed the paved road for a while, and then he'd turned off onto an unpaved gravel road. He pulled off the side of the road into the trees, and there was a view of the river running past ahead of us. He shut off the motor and it was so very quiet and dark with just a sliver of moon breaking through the forest canopy.

"So... Do you want to get in the back seat? We'd have more room, and it would be more comfortable..." Edward asked a little hesitantly.

"Seriously? You just want to hop into the back seat?"

"I can drive you home if you don't want to be here..."

"No, I want to... It's just, nobody ever asked me before... I never imagined it would be something I'd ever really do."

Edward opened his door and got out. He came around to my door, opened it for me and reached for my hand to help me out of the car. We stepped to the back door, and Edward opened the door for me. I slid into the back seat, and he shut the door. I toed off my heels and kicked them onto the floor as he hurried around to the other side, and then Edward was sliding into the backseat beside me.

I was actually hoping he'd take the initiative and carry-on with where we'd left off in his bedroom, or even the movie theater. This was much more private and nobody was going to knock on the door or walk in on us here.

"So... Did you enjoy the movie this evening...?"

It was a little disappointing when he hung back and acted shy. He pretended to want to talk but had to dig for a topic of conversation.

"We didn't actually watch much of the movie..."

"Yes... I'm sorry about that..."

"You are?" I knew I sounded disappointed. It had been incredible for me. He'd seemed to enjoy it too at the time. Was he just going through the motions, and hoping it would end so he wouldn't have to be with me? Why had he brought me out here if he didn't want to continue where we'd left off?

"I'm not sorry I was with you or that I kissed you. That was completely amazing and incredible. I'm sorry if I'm moving too fast for you and taking advantage of the situation. I haven't considered your feelings, Bella, and I've continued to act without regard for you. I haven't taken the time to ask you what you want or how you feel about everything that's happened tonight."

"I liked it, all of it. I told you not to worry about pushing my limits. I'll stop you if I'm uncomfortable or it's too fast." As far as I was concerned, I could be dead tomorrow. There were things I wanted to do before Victoria and James caught up with me again. I scooted closer to the middle of the seat and took Edward's hand in mine. He didn't flinch away or pull his hand back.

"Ok…" He replied to me.

"Edward…"

"Yes…?"

"You brought me out here for a reason."

"Yes… I did…"

"You asked me to get in the backseat with you, and I said yes."

"I know that was forward of me, but the console dividing the seats was in the way…"

"Will you just shut up and kiss me?"

Edward finally seemed to get the hint and quit holding back.

He reached for me, placing his hands on my waist and pulling me onto his lap. I turned to face him, as I straddled his hips. Edward's hands pulled me close into his chest, caressing up my back.

My arms snaked around his neck, cradling his head as his cheek nuzzled against mine. I could feel his hot breath on my neck and he kissed the hollow beneath my ear as he pulled me closer.

My heart was pounding in my chest again and my pulse was racing. I felt giddy and light headed and liked everything we were doing.

Edward pulled my face down to his and his lips touched mine. His was kiss was soft and gentle but I wanted more.

My fingers knotted into his hair as I pulled him closer. I eagerly returned the pressure of his lips on mine as I kissed him back…

He sucked my lip between his, running his tongue across it, and then he was kissing me harder…

My lips parted, and he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into my mouth to tangle with mine…

Edward's hand moved into my hair, cradling my head as I tilted my head to improve the angle and keep our noses from bumping. We moved together, touching, stroking and caressing and I loved it.

I needed to touch him, and my fingers found the buttons on his shirt, working at them to pull them open. My hands fisted in his shirt, tugging it up out of the waist band of his pants. I may have torn off a few buttons, but I finally got it open.

I pushed it down off his shoulders and I pressed my palms against his bare chest. His skin was hot and smooth with a musky smell, and felt incredible under my hot hands.

He leaned forward and pulled the shirt off, letting it fall to the floor of the car, and my hands reveled in the feel of him as they roamed over his body, exploring his skin.

His hands had moved back onto my hips turning me on the seat as he dragged my leg around his body. He pulled me closer, and his hands supported me from falling as he pushed me back so we were lying on the seat. Edward was above me, lying cradled between my legs, pressing my body into the cushions as I lay back on the seat.

My hands gripped his broad shoulders and I didn't mind his hands on my body at all. I wanted him to push my limits a little and do more. I was comfortable with the pace things were moving at, but I was nowhere close to shutting him down yet.

Edward leaned into me, kissing me again. He sucked my lower lip between his briefly, and I felt the tip of his tongue swipe across my lip, tasting me. My lips parted and I felt the tip of his tongue between my lips.

The tip of my tongue touched his and electricity exploded through my body, flashing up and down my spine, tingling in my toes and fingertips and igniting my core. I could feel the dampness between my legs, and I knew my panties were going to be wet.

His tongue slipped back into my mouth, swirling with mine and the taste and sensation was incredible. It was slick and sweet and velvety and absolutely incredible as he kissed me and stroked my body.

I wanted so much more... I wanted Edward to touch me, but I didn't want to push his limits. I could feel he was holding back and he was respecting me a bit more than I wanted him to.

Edward's lips were greedily pressed to mine and our tongues wrestled back and forth as we teased and explored and experimented, and that was very nice, but I had hoped almost ripping his shirt off would have given him the hint.

I was going to have to take the initiative here. I didn't want to seem too brazen, but I reached for Edward's hand. Of course he took it the wrong way.

He broke the kiss and pulled away. "Bella, I'm sorry…"

I dragged his hand up my body and placed it firmly on my chest, holding it in place so he didn't flinch away. "Stop apologizing so much. I told you I'd tell you when to stop." I pulled his face back down to mine and kissed him to make my point.

Edward took the hint, and his hand closed on my breast, massaging and kneading my tender flesh.

His thumb stroked across my nipple, but they were already hard little pebbles. It was like my nipples were wired to my sex, and flash of pleasure shot straight through my core as he tweaked and rubbed my tit.

I could feel the hard bulge in his pants grinding against my panties. My skirt was hiked up around my waist, but Edward didn't get any more adventurous, and I didn't push him to do more. He was content to let me set the pace once his tongue was in my mouth.

He didn't appear to want to try anything I wasn't comfortable with, but he never asked me how far I was willing to go either. I was content to let him kiss me and second base was ok with me.

Time seemed to slip away we lay together kissing and making out in the backseat of his car. Our hands were everywhere that we were ok with, touching and squeezing.

The sound of his cell phone ringing was jarring and startled me. I flinched and nearly popped my shield, but I held it together as Edward broke the kiss and extricated himself from my hands gripping his shoulders and arms.

He sat up and fished his cell phone out of his pocket, and looked at the caller ID. He sighed and accepted the call, raising the phone to his ear.

"What, Alice? This had better be good…"

"No…"

"No, I'll drop her off."

"Alright, Good night."

Edward ended the call and shoved the phone back into his pocket. I had a pretty good idea why she'd called and I sat up on the seat, fixing my skirt so it covered me again. It was dark in the car, but my eyes were adjusted and I could see. I was pretty sure Edward had gotten a pretty good look at my panties under my skirt before I sat up. I really didn't mind, and it gave me a little thrill knowing he'd seen them like that.

I'd worn the skirt today to appease Alice, but I liked the way Edward looked at me. I might have to start dressing like this more often. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined, and I kind of liked it.

"That was Alice," Edward confirmed. "I need to get you home if we're going to make it there before your curfew."

I nodded. "Ok, I figured that was why she was calling. Let me find my shoes, and I'll be ready to go."

Edward nodded and reached for his shirt to put it back on. I felt around and found my heels and slipped them back on. I got out while Edward was fixing his shirt, and straightened my skirt and adjusted my top. I got back in the front seat and opened the vanity mirror in the sun visor.

My makeup wasn't too bad although Charlie would probably know what we'd been up to if I didn't touch it up. I cleaned up the smudges, patted on a little powder and reapplied my lipstick.

Edward waited until I was done before he started the car. He backed out of the trees and drove back out to the highway. I knew we'd had a view of the river, although we hadn't really looked at it much. I was surprised just how close to Forks we were.

Edward drove around the bend in the highway and crossed the bridge into town. Five minutes later we were pulling up in front of Charlie's house. I was a little surprised we'd only been parked less than ten minutes away. It had seemed so remote that it had felt like there wasn't another soul around for a hundred miles.

"I had a good time tonight, Edward. Thank you for taking me to dinner and the movie, and everything else," I said when he'd parked the car.

"It was fun and I had a good time," Edward said, and then opened his door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm walking you to your door, Bella. A gentleman escorts his date to her door, he doesn't dump her in the street and speed off into the night."

"Oh… Ok. I think Charlie was expecting Alice to bring me home, but I can do this. I don't think Charlie will mind too much…"

"If he's upset, I'll talk to him. Alice offered to meet us, but I told her I wanted to bring you home."

"Ok…"

Edward got out and came around to my door and opened it for me. He took my hand to help me out, and then held my hand as we walked up onto the porch.

He turned to me, and placed his hands on my waist, pulling me against his body. I looked up into his clear mossy green eyes.

"Will you allow me to take you out again, Bella?"

"Yes, but you're going to have to come over and talk to Charlie first. Tonight was kind of jumping the gun, but it just kind of worked out that way."

"Let me know when I can come over so we can talk."

"Ok…"

"Tonight was kind of intense, but I know you had a good time. Does this change your mind about us? Can I call you mine?"

"Edward… You know I'm not ready to make any sort of commitments like that yet. We had fun tonight. I really like you, but can't we leave it at that and just see where this goes?"

"You're still going to see Jacob Black."

"Yes. I'm not going to lie to you or break my date with him."

"Alright… I don't like it, but I suppose I don't have any option but to accept it. May I kiss you goodnight?"

"Don't ask, just do it…" Edward's lips pressed to mine, shutting me up for once.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as he slipped his tongue back into my mouth. Electricity flashed down my spine again, and I melted bonelessly against him.

His hands on my body were all that kept me from collapsing or floating away.

I was lost in his lips again when the porch light flashed off and on again, forcing reality to intrude on my blissful reverie.

Edward broke the kiss and held me up until I could stand on my own again.

I stepped away reluctantly, and reached for the doorknob. "Goodnight, Edward…"

"Goodnight, Bella… I'll see you on Monday…"

Edward waited until I'd opened the door and stepped inside, and then turned and strode back to his car. I heard the motor start and he drove away as I closed the door.

"Alice certainly has gotten taller and a lot friendlier since the last time I saw her." Charlie said as he frowned at me.

"Charlie! Be nice."

"I told you I want to meet any boys you decide to date before you go out with them, Bella."

"I'm sorry, Charlie. Edward said he'll come over any night you're free to talk to you. We didn't plan this. It just seemed to work out this way. All of us wouldn't fit in one car, and Rose and Emmett rode with Alice and Jasper…"

"Ok, I told you it was alright this one time. I'll let you know my schedule on Monday and he can come over to dinner one night."

"Thanks, Charlie, that'll be great."

"So, does this settle things now? You're going to date Edward?"

"We're friends… I had a long talk with Esme, and she suggested that I should wait to make up my mind."

"That kiss seemed like an awful lot more than a friendly peck on the cheek. I know married couples that don't kiss like that. You're sending that boy signals that you like him. That's ok for him to like you too and he's the one you want."

"I do like him, but I'm not really ready to be his girlfriend. I'm still going to go on my date with Jacob…"

"Fine, I'm not going to tell you who you can or cannot date, but remember what I told you, Bella. They come to blows over you, or if this gets ugly, I'm gonna have to lay down the law, and none of you are gonna like it.

**Author's note:**

Ok, I made a comment about this Bella being immature and making bad decisions because she's seventeen, and that she's going to make a lot of mistakes.

This applies to her interpersonal relationship skills and dealing with her romantic life.

She is somewhat hardened by her life experiences up until this point and is better able to deal with the starker realities of life in regards to basic survival and trying to stay alive. She can make hard decisions because she's had to in the past, but she's never had a boyfriend or had to deal with being in a relationship before.

Hopefully this puts things in perspective.

I'm also posting chapter 29 of _The Darkest Part of the Night_. I'll keep posting both stories as long as I'm chapters ahead.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much.


	15. Interlude - The Dark Path

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **VPOV (Victoria). guest narrator POV for the other side of the story in the interlude chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

**Warning: ** This chapter contains depictions of violence. If you are easily offended by violence against women and non-consensual sexual situations, then skip this chapter.

This chapter is part of the bad guys storyline. The main storyline will continue in the next chapter.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 15 – Interlude: The Dark Path

Saturday – 12/03/2005

Courtney was sitting alone in the lounge, nursing her drink and chain smoking as she sat in silent contemplation. We were slowly working our way up the shore of Puget Sound, hitting all the smaller communities north of Seattle. We had stopped for the evening and gotten rooms in a hotel in Lynnwood. We'd keep heading north to the Canadian border, and then we'd work the other side of the Sound on the Northern and Eastern edge of the Olympic Peninsula until we hit Tacoma.

Port Angeles and Sequim were the only big towns on the northern edge of the peninsula. We'd hit them, and then work the eastern edge down through Kingston and Silverdale and Bainbridge Island and a slew of other small towns. If we still came up empty, then we'd continue west towards Olympia and Aberdeen and Hoquiam until we hit the coast.

There were only a few tiny flyspeck towns on the Pacific Coast of the Olympic peninsula, and we were concentrating on the more populous regions first. Dwyer's previous behavior indicated she'd tended to move along the fringes of larger population zones where she still had access to food transport and the amenities of the cities, but was secluded enough to move around inconspicuously. Her MO for the last three years had her constantly on the move and it was hard not to stand out in a small town if you stuck around for long.

Of course, that may have been her mother's influence and preferred method of hiding. Dwyer may have adopted a new strategy since her mother was out of the picture and she was on her own. She may have gone to ground and found a nitch to hole up in if she'd hooked up with one of the underground mutant sub-culture groups.

All we could do was keep searching and look for leads that would lead us to her. It was a daunting task though, trying to find one special teenage girl who didn't want to be found when the only information about her location was a phone call to this region of the country. Still, it was our best lead, and we'd narrowed it down to this part of Washington. We'd keep looking until we found her, or some intelligence told us she wasn't here.

Laurent went over and sat down at the table with Courtney.

"Why do you do this," Laurent asked. "What are you getting out of this?"

Courtney was shocked at first. She was startled by the fact that Laurent was even speaking at first, and then by the fact that he was speaking to her. He had only spoken on a few very infrequent occasions and this was the first time he had ever addressed her directly since we'd arrived.

"What do you mean? This is my job. I was assigned this duty by my superior officer. I'm carrying out my orders."

"That is an excuse. You were assigned this duty because Victoria asked for you. She asked for you to give you to James. They are monsters and they are slowly corrupting your essence. They are making you like them. Once you go far enough down that dark path, there is no turning back. You can still walk away. You can turn back to the light and live a normal life."

"I'm already in too deep. I can't walk away now. I know too much. If I'm not in the loop, I'm dead. They'd kill me if I tried to back out now."

"You have been a part of this for a week. You can live your life without a week. I can make you forget everything that has happened since we showed up at the Air force base. Ask for reassignment and you can forget everything that has happened. No James, no Victoria, it will be like it never happened."

"I'll still have the nightmares... You can't give back everything that's been taken from me…"

"Traumatic experiences leave scars. Is it not it better to escape with your soul intact than stay and let them destroy it bit by bit?"

"Why do you stay," Courtney asked. "What are you getting out of this?"

"I sold my soul to them long ago, but I had fewer choices than you. It was a simple decision really. They held a gun to my wife's head while she hugged my young son and infant daughter to her bosom. They told me I could either work for them and my family would become American citizens, my children would have medical care and go to college, or if I refused, I would watch them die, and then they would still make me work for them by controlling my mind.

"I could sell my soul and keep my freewill, or they would rip my soul from my body and make me their creature like Victoria. I made the only choice I could make.

"I knew what I was getting in return when I sold my soul to them. I am allowed to visit my family. They have done everything they promised and in return I serve these demons as their slave to do their bidding as they carry out their dark works.

"I do not enjoy what I do, but I have accepted the inevitable. You on the other hand have more choices. You are walking the dark path and you do not even realize the choices you have."

"I'll think about it…It's getting late," Courtney tossed back the rest of her drink, took one last drag on her cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

"I'm gonna call it a night. Thank you for caring. I'll see you in the morning." She got up from the table to leave and go up to her room.

"He will come for you again tonight. You know what he will do…"

Courtney shuddered, and then nodded her head. "I know. Can I do anything about it?"

Laurent shrugged. "Run now and leave the hotel, or shoot him when he comes for you. They might decide to let you go, or he might take it as a challenge and hunt you."

"Ok… Thank you for caring…"

"You are not going to run, are you?"

"No… If I don't fight, he isn't forcing me. If I say yes he isn't raping me."

"It will not work."

"Ok, Why not? He can't force me if I'm ok with it…"

"You have no memory of ever being with a man. He will not be gentle or caring. He will take what he wants."

Courtney blushed bright red. "I think I'm ok with that…"

"He will find something you will refuse to do, and then force you to do it."

"Oh…"

"Yes… Prepare to test the limits of decency if you try to play this game with him. He will win. There is no depraved act he has not practiced or forced upon an unwilling partner."

"Thank you for the warning. I'll see you in the morning."

"Perhaps... Should you desire to expunge the memory, send Victoria and I will help you again."

Courtney just nodded and walked to the elevator to go up to her room. She used the key card to let herself in and sighed with relief when the room was empty. She'd halfway expected James to be waiting for her when she went up to go to bed.

She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. It was the first night since we'd been on the road that she'd actually gotten to put her nightie on. She was walking to turn off the light to go to bed when she heard the knock on the door.

She was surprised he knocked. She knew he had a key to her door. She peered out the peep hole to confirm her fears, and almost ignored him and went to bed. She knew he'd just let himself in with his key if she did. He was giving her the opportunity to accept what was going to happen by knocking. He was letting her decide to let him in. She knew it would affect how he treated her. Maybe she could make him play nice like he did with Victoria. She doubted it, but it was worth a try.

She opened the door to let him in, and then walked away into the room.

"What, no hello, how was your day, honey?" James asked, sarcastically. "How are you tonight, Courtney?"

She shrugged. "Tired and a little pissed off. I think I should have gotten drunker before I came up here. I've got to be out of my fucking mind to be standing here talking to you like this. Why the hell can't you just go sleep in your own goddamn bed, James? Go play with Victoria. She doesn't seem to mind so much."

Courtney walked into the middle of the room and stopped next to the bed. She expected to be on it on her back in another a couple of minutes any how.

"You do mind, despite your indifferent act. That's more fun for me." James followed her into the room, standing close to her, invading her personal space.

"Fine, so how exactly does this work then...?"

"You don't remember anything, do you?" He said, reaching up to gently stroke her cheek. "This is kind of like taking your cherry all over again, only you won't bleed this time."

Courtney wanted to flinch away from his touch, but there was nowhere to go unless she climbed up onto the bed. She didn't want to give in that much yet.

She ignored the comment about him taking her virginity. It pissed her off, but she didn't remember it. It probably wasn't the first time he'd commented about it. She wasn't going to rise to the bait and let him make it an issue. This would be her first time, unless she asked Laurent to make her forget again.

"No... I know you've been fucking me. I guess if we've already been doing this, what difference does it make if I know about it? It's not like it's going to stop it from happening or something."

"It's kind of fun when you have no clue what the fuck is going on and you scream and fight."

"I still don't know what the fuck is going on. Maybe we could do with a little less screaming and fighting..."

"I like the screaming and fighting, but we'll get to that later. This has advantages too. Now get on your knees."

"Excuse me...?"

"I said get on your knees, bitch!" James said as he opened his pants and started to push them down. "Don't make me say it again."

Courtney was absolutely mortified and she was blushing bright red. She'd expected him to throw her on the bed and fuck her, and maybe be rough about it. She had even expected him to hit her or try to rough her up a bit, but she hadn't expected this...

She'd never had a boyfriend, and the only time she'd ever even remembered seeing a man's cock was the other day when James had violated that girl in the park. Victoria had kept him occupied since then, but now it was her turn again.

It was worth doing what he wanted so he didn't hit her. She dropped to her knees in front of him, and suddenly his naked cock was in front of her face. It looked absolutely huge to her as it hung between his legs like some kind of weapon. She knew it had been inside of her before, but she had no idea how it had fit in. it looked impossibly too big to squeeze inside of her.

"Touch it," James commanded. "Wrap your hands around it and stroke my cock."

She reached for him, feeling the thick meaty weight of him filling her hands. He was still soft and his cock was too big to reach around with one hand. She knew it would be bigger when he was hard...

She stroked his cock like he'd told her.

"Squeeze it tighter so you move the skin... Yes... like that..." James instructed.

She could feel him growing in her hands as his cock became semi-erect.

"Lick it... Stick out your tongue and taste me..."

It sounded absolutely gross and she'd never expected to find herself in this position in a million years. She was a realist though, and she knew where this was going. It was going to happen one way or another so she might as well accept it and just do what he said.

Her tongue snaked out and she licked the head of his cock...

It wasn't as bad as she expected, not nearly as gross as she'd imagined. It tasted like skin and maybe a little salty from sweat. She'd expected it to taste like pee, but he was clean and she could tell he'd showered recently.

His cock was getting wet from her saliva as she licked him and her hands slipped easier on his cock as she stroked him. It seemed to arouse him more and his cock was getting harder and longer as it started to inflate.

"Suck my cock, bitch. Put it in your mouth..." James told her. "Watch your teeth. Don't let them touch me, or I'll have to discipline you..."

She'd been expecting that. It couldn't be much worse than what she was already doing. She already knew the part about keeping her teeth away from him, but she shuddered at the thought of what the discipline might be. She certainly didn't want to find out.

She had to open her mouth wide and stretch her jaws as far apart as she could to fit him in. She sucked his cock into her mouth and sucked on the big fleshy head while her hands worked his shaft, stroking him and milking his cock.

James fingers slipped into her hair, caressing her scalp and scratching behind her ears. She kind of liked it and so far this wasn't nearly as bad as she'd expected. She actually kind of liked it and didn't mind doing this.

"You're pretty good at this, Courtney, you're a natural born cocksucker. Now let's kick it up a notch. Let's see how much cock you can swallow..."

Swallow...? That didn't sound fun at all or even possible...

His hands fastened onto her skull, tangling in her hair and directing her movements. He started moving her head back and forth on his cock as he fucked her mouth. It wasn't bad at first. She would have done this much if he'd just told her to.

Then he was pushing his cock deeper. It pushed into the back of her throat and her natural response to the invasion made her gag. She couldn't breathe and she felt like she was going to throw up. Saliva flooded her mouth, but James cock was rammed into the back of her throat and it wasn't moving...

It felt like he kept it there for an impossibly long time, and then he was pulling her off of his cock.

"Breathe." James instructed, but she didn't need him to tell her as she panted for breath.

Her saliva was dripping off his cock in strings, and it looked impossibly huge now.

"Take a deep breath and open your mouth." He instructed. She knew she had no chance of resisting, and followed his instructions.

James plunged his cock back into her mouth, dragging her along the length of him until his cock was pushed as deep into the back of her throat as he could push it. He was trying to ram it deeper and she gagged on him as she fought the urges that made her want to projectile vomit.

On an objective level she was amazed how much of his cock was in her mouth, but she didn't have much time to think about it as she gagged on the invader rammed into her throat.

Then he was pulling her off again to let her come up for air. It went on like that for a very long time.

"Ok, let's try something new. Next time I shove my cock in your mouth, I want you to try and stick out your tongue past your lower lip, and try to relax your throat like you're yawning. Ok?"

"Yeah..."

"Pushing your tongue out will flatten it in the back and make it easier to fit in. It should make you gag less too."

"Alright…"

"Ok, Breathe..."

She knew what was coming next. James rammed his cock into her mouth, dragging her head towards him, only she was doing what he told her and extended her tongue as he pushed his cock into her throat.

It helped lessen the gag reflex and he pushed in even deeper than before.

James would ram his cock into her throat and she'd gag and want to puke until he pulled her off, but remarkably she seemed to be getting used to it. It got easier when she followed his instructions. She was forced to try and control her gag reflex when he rammed his cock into her throat, but it was working.

"You're doing very well, Courtney," James praised her when he pulled out to let her pant and catch her breath. "I figured it would take weeks for you to make this much progress. You really are a natural at this."

"Thanks," Courtney managed to squeak out between ragged pants. "This is what I dreamed about as a little girl... Fucking bastard..."

James chuckled "I'm sure it was. Ok, deep breath…" He plunged his cock into her mouth again.

She could feel his cock slide into her throat, and the head push past the last bit of resistance.

Her nose was buried in his pubic hair as his ball sack rubbed against her chin. It was impossible to consider, but she knew she'd taken his entire cock down her throat.

It got easier after that. James fucked her face, driving his cock deep into her throat on every stroke, burying her nose in his pubes as his nuts smacked into her chin.

"You're really good at this, Sweetheart. You're going to make me cum pretty soon. You're going to swallow it all. Understand?"

Courtney was horrified at the thought, but she knew it was coming after what he'd already made her do.

"Yeah... I figured you'd make me do that too..."

"I'm almost there..." He shoved his cock back between her lips so he could blow his load in her mouth.

James could have just rammed his cock back into her throat and just shot off while her nose was pressed into his pubes, but he wanted her to taste it.

The head of his cock was in her mouth and resting full on her tongue when he lost it and blew his load.

James grunted as he shot into her mouth and fought the urge to drive his cock deeper into her throat. His hands were gripping her head so she couldn't pull away and he shot spurt after spurt of hot thick cum into her mouth.

Courtney swallowed furiously, trying to keep up with the torrent flooding her mouth as she tried to capture every drop. It was a losing battle and his cum flooded past her lips, dribbling down her chin and onto the base of his cock and balls.

Finally he released her, letting her pull off his cock.

"Clean me up..." He panted. "Lick it all up. Don't miss a drop..."

Courtney felt like a total slut as she licked his cum off his cock and balls, and wiped it off her chin and licked her fingers, but she made sure she got it all and cleaned up every drop. It wasn't nearly as gross as she'd imagined, and it turned her on.

James had recovered by the time she was done.

"That was a first for us. You've never sucked my cock before. That would have been problematic when you were less cooperative about this whole thing."

Courtney shrugged. "This is the first time for me for everything. I don't remember any of the other times."

"Let's get nostalgic then. Take off your night gown and get into bed."

Courtney got up off her knees. She was in this deep and James seemed to like that she was cooperating so far. He was a little rough and demanding, but he hadn't done anything yet that was too terribly bad. She was getting into this and she was ready to play along. She was actually more than a little excited and wanted to do more. She was anticipating him fucking her and wanted to know what it was like.

"What do you mean, nostalgic?" She asked as she pulled her nightgown off over her head and tossed it on the floor.

She was reaching for her panties to take them off when James stopped her. "No, leave the panties on. The first time I came to your room, You'd just gotten out of the shower. All you had on were your panties when I threw you on the bed."

James had pulled down the bed covers while they talked.

"You threw me onto the bed?" Courtney asked.

"Yes, just like this..."

He reached for her, sweeping her off her feet and tossed her onto the middle of the bed.

Courtney squealed as James pounced on her, straddling her torso and pinning her wrists down above her head with his hands.

"You screamed louder the first time," he complained.

"I was probably more panicked and had no idea what you were going to do."

"Oh, you knew exactly what I was going to do, and you were screaming bloody murder."

"Ok... So what did you do next?" Courtney asked.

"I pinned one wrist down like this," He said, dragging her wrist down and pinning it under his knee. "Then I tied your other wrist to the head board."

"You really don't have to do that anymore..."

"I'm nothing if not a traditionalist," James said and reached for the small duffel bag he'd set on the side of the bed.

"You don't have to tie me up, James..."

"You're missing the point, Courtney, I like tying you up, but I'm willing to compromise."

Instead of a rope, he pulled a pair of handcuffs out of the bag with a padded shackle for her wrist. It would restrain, but it wouldn't dig into her flesh and bruise her like regular handcuffs or leave ligature marks like rope.

He snapped the padded shackle onto her wrist and then fastened the other side of the handcuff to the headboard.

He reached into the bag and produced a second pair, and secured her other wrist.

"That's better. Now isn't that better than rope?

"I'll have to take your word for it, but it'll be nice not to have rope burns on my wrists anymore. So, what's next? Are you still being nostalgic?"

James climbed off the bed and took off the rest of his clothes. Courtney couldn't help getting a little excited. James might be a sadistic bastard, but he had a beautiful body and was very fit and toned with long hard flat muscles and broad muscular shoulders. He wasn't hard on the eyes at all, and she knew a lot of women found him very attractive, at least until they learned about his dark nature and how he liked to play.

"I like rope, but I'll let your wrists heal. There are other places we can put rope burns, but we'll save that for another night. We can keep following the script for a while, but I'm going to deviate a bit. I need to get you ready so we can play later and try some new things."

James moved back onto the bed. "Next I yanked off your panties that first night, to get you naked."

He reached for her underwear, but his hand closed on her crotch first, massaging her sex and driving her pleasure.

"You're really getting into this, aren't you? You warmed up that first time, but your panties are soaking wet, Courtney."

"I'm ok with all of this..."

"I think you're more than ok with it. I'll try to keep it interesting." James grabbed her panties by the waist band and yanked them down her legs to toss them off the side of the bed.

He moved closer, pushing her knees apart, kneeling between them.

"This next part didn't happen that night, but I think you're going to enjoy it. I know I will."

James reached into the bag and pulled out a couple of things. The first looked like a small silicone plastic cock. It was three or four inches long and tapered from a small rounded point as big as her fingertip to a section in the middle as big around as his cock. Then there was a narrower section at the bottom that ended in a flat flared base. The other thing looked like a tube of toothpaste or ointment with a plastic flip top.

"What the hell is that thing..." Courtney asked apprehensively.

"It's your butt plug." James said.

He opened the tube and squirted clear gel lube onto the tapered plastic toy, smearing it all over until it looked slick and glistened with the gel.

"My what!" Courtney exclaimed. "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do...!"

"I don't know..." James said with a devious smirk. He reached for her knees, pushing them back to her chest, rolling her ass up in front of him.

"What do you think I'm going to do?"

"You're not sticking that thing in me!"

"Stop me." He challenged.

Courtney thrashed around, yanking at the shackles on her wrists and trying to squirm away, but it was pointless to resist as he squirted more of the gel on her ass and rubbed it into the tight little rosebud of her asshole.

"You need to relax, Courtney. Don't clench up, or this is going to hurt even more."

"Then don't stick it in me!" she yelled at him as she tried to squeeze her ass cheeks together, but her ass was fully exposed to him the way he was holding her on the bed.

"Oh, it's going in. Whether it hurts or not is up to you. I had a feeling I could still make you scream tonight..."

"No!" She yelled. She could feel the soft plastic tip probing at her ass as the tip pushed into her.

"Oh, c'mon, you can scream louder than that," James goaded as he worked the plug into her ass.

It made her think about what Laurent had told her. That James would find something she refused to do and that he'd force her to do it against her will. He could only force her if she fought him. He wasn't forcing her if she accepted it and let him do it.

She wasn't going to let him make her scream. She tried to relax and accept the inevitable as the plug pushed into her asshole, spreading her open, invading her most intimate opening. She'd never even put her finger back there before, but she could feel her asshole stretching around the plug.

It seemed huge and gave her an incredible sense of fullness, but she knew her ass could stretch at least that big, things that big had come out of it before. It just seemed unnatural for something to be trying to push back in the wrong way.

Of course, James wasn't satisfied to simply push it into her asshole. He had to play with it and work it in and out, fucking her ass with the plastic toy while he stretched her asshole open.

She couldn't help but moan as he played with her ass. She'd never felt anything so intense and intimate before, and it was turning her on.

"You like that, don't you? You complained at first because you'd never tried it, but once you gave in and let go, you like it. You're a slut and a cocksucker, and you like taking it up the ass. You might not remember any of the other times, but you're a total slut, Courtney, and you get off on being used like this."

She didn't want to admit it, but she knew it was the truth. She'd never explored this part of her personality before. She'd never really dated much and had never had a steady boyfriend. She'd never really even done much more than kiss a guy before this started, but she liked it. She liked it a lot.

"Just for the record, I haven't taken your ass yet. You're still a virgin back there. Except for that plug..."

Courtney grunted when James shoved the butt plug in the rest of the way. The ring of muscles around her asshole settled into the narrowed section at the base of the plug, holding it inside her, and the flat flared base prevented it from slipping any deeper into her and getting lost inside her guts.

It would stay inside of her asshole like that, stretching the muscles of her butt and stretching her open until James pulled it out.

James released her legs, letting them spread around him as he moved even closer to her. His body covered hers, pressing her into the mattress as his weight settled onto her. His hands explored her body, caressing her and briefly settling on her chest as he kneaded her tits.

"You're going to leave it in there?" Courtney asked, surprised that he hadn't pulled it out and they seemed to be moving on.

His forearms held her shoulders down and his hands gripped her head again, immobilizing her as his fingers threaded into her hair. His forehead rested against hers as their noses touched, he was so close.

"Yeah, we'll just leave it in there for now. It'll stretch your asshole open. You'll get used to it after a while. After tonight, you're going to keep it in there unless you're taking a shit. If I check and it isn't in your ass, I'll have to discipline you. Do you understand?"

"What, like every day? When we're working and everything?"

"That's the plan. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No… how will you discipline me if I refuse?"

"I'll spank you. Would you like me to show you?"

"Uh… No?"

James chuckled. "Another night then... Victoria would be mad at me if you couldn't sit down tomorrow and had trouble walking."

Courtney blanched at the thought of him spanking her so hard that she wouldn't be able to sit down the next day. She resolved not to antagonize him to the point where he had to discipline her.

She was startled when James closed the distance between them and his lips pressed against hers as he kissed her, and then his tongue was pushing past her lips as it thrust into her mouth. He kissed her deeply and passionately as he plundered her mouth and took her the way he wanted to.

Courtney didn't mind this part at all and kissed him back. She wished her hands weren't stretched over her head and shackled to the headboard so she could touch him too. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and grip his broad muscular shoulders.

James broke the kiss. "You're really getting into this, aren't you? We might have to try this sometime without the handcuffs."

"I told you, you didn't have to tie me up. I'm not going to fight you. We've been doing this for a week. I wanted to see what I've been missing."

"I liked it when you screamed more and tried to fight me off, but this is nice to. It's kind of like when I'm fucking Victoria, but I'm in control instead of her calling the shots. I could get used to this."

"I've never really been with a guy before all of this started. Now I know what I've been missing. I like this."

"I do too. So, are you ready to get fucked?"

"Oh, I'm already totally fucked. You tell me, am I?" She knew she was. She was aching to feel James cock invade her. She needed to feel him inside her.

James reached down between them and pushed his hand between her legs. His fingers pushed into her, and she knew she was slippery wet with anticipation.

He rubbed the slippery girl juices through her sex, and his fingers found her clit.

She gasped and arched her back, pushing her crotch against his hand as he stroked her and rubbed her most sensitive spot.

"I think somebody wants a big hard cock slammed into her pussy. Am I right?"

"Yes..." Courtney moaned.

"Tell me what you want."

"I want you inside me..."

"That's not good enough, Courtney. Tell me what you want me to do."

"Fuck me. I need you to fuck me..."

"How do you want me to fuck you?"

"Slam your big hard cock into my pussy!"

"Ok..."

James backed off a little as he sat back on his heels. His hands hooked under her knees again and he pushed her legs back until her knees were practically touching her shoulders.

It was easy for him to maneuver his rigid cock into position, and she could feel the head of his cock lodged against her pussy.

He didn't give her any warning and he didn't hold anything back. She'd told him what to do. He gave her what she asked for.

James thrust his hips forward as he drove his cock into her. He slammed his cock into her pussy in one sudden motion as he buried himself to the hilt inside her and his balls smacked against her ass.

Courtney didn't exactly scream. It was more of loud squeal as all of the air rushed out of her lungs, and then she was panting to catch her breath.

"Oh My God…!" She groaned when she was able to think again.

"You liked that. You screamed louder when you were a virgin."

"That must have hurt like hell. I'm glad I don't remember it. I could get used to this…"

"I'll bet you could," James said. He pulled almost out and flexed his hips to drive his cock back into her again.

"Uhnhh… God yess…"

"Tell me what you want, Courtney…" James slid out and drove his cock into her again.

"Uhnhh…" Courtney grunted again. "Fuck me…! God, that feels sooo good…"

"I knew you were a slut… You're going to like this…"

James started to hammer into her, driving his cock hard and fast, fucking her with long deep strokes that hit bottom with every thrust.

He was touching her in places she didn't even know she could feel. It was intense and glorious as she lay there panting and moaning under him.

There wasn't much Courtney could do but live in the moment and let him drive her to ecstasy. Her arms were stretched over her head as she strained at the shackles.

Her knees were pinned down as he had her practically folded in half with her feet sticking up in the air, flailing about as he fucked the living shit out of her.

She was fully exposed to him and spread wide open as his massive cock sank into her wet sloppy pussy over and over again.

"Oh my god...! Uhnhh… I'm so close... Ohhh... Gawwwd... I'm going to cum...!" Courtney panted through her moans. She was getting very close.

It was time for me to make an appearance. I didn't think James would hurt her now, but I knew he'd leave her chained to the bed and just walk out of the room when he was done. Somebody was going to have to unlock her shackles. Besides, I liked to watch, and I wanted to see her cum.

Courtney felt my presence in the room, and blushed bright red knowing I was watching James fuck her, but she didn't say anything. She was too far gone to care.

James just ignored me. He liked an audience and didn't mind me watching.

I sat down in the armchair and lit a cigarette while I crossed my legs and sat back to enjoy the show. I knew James was getting close too. He was really hammering into her to try and drive her over the edge.

Some guys were real bastards and didn't give a shit if their partner got there and had an orgasm during sex. A lot of women faked it to just get it over with so their man would get off of them. Most guys were only concerned with their own pleasure, and stopped fucking their woman when they came and shot their load.

James was a bastard, and he was really only concerned about his own pleasure, but he liked feeling the girl he was fucking clench around his cock and feel her pussy throbbing around him, milking his cum out of his cock.

He had to make her cum too to feel that clenching grip on his cock as she tightened around him and her clit throbbed against his shaft.

It was a win-win situation. In order to get what he wanted, he had to drive her to orgasm, and she got what she so desperately needed.

Like Courtney, she was at the edge and was about to get just exactly what she so desperately needed.

"Oh my god...! I'm cumming...!" Courtney wailed as her eyes rolled back in her head and waves of pure ecstasy radiated through her body from her sex.

Her body shook and thrashed like she was being electrocuted as her clit throbbed with pleasure and her pussy clenched around James cock.

James thrust his hips forward, burying his cock to the hilt in her throbbing pussy as it spasmed around him. He grunted as his own orgasm pulsed through his body and he shot his cum deep into her. His cock spurting over and over as his seed flooded into her.

He released her legs before he let his weigh collapse onto her, pressing her solidly down into the mattress as he panted against her neck.

Courtney was still too far gone to care, but I got the sense that she liked the feel of his body pressing her down while his semi-rigid cock was still buried inside her, between her legs.

James recovered first and pulled out of her, before climbing off of her body. His cock was still semi erect, and he reached down stroking it to make it hard again.

That was one of the thing I loved about James. He had incredible stamina and recovered so rapidly he probably could have simply kept fucking her until he drove her over the edge again and made them both cum again. He'd done that the first night he raped her, and made her cum three times before he called it quits and let her alone.

The massive amounts of testosterone in his system probably accounted in part for his aggressive nature and his almost constant need for sex, but when he was being nice, it quite literally made him god's gift to women, as long as the woman in question liked to fuck... a lot.

Courtney was still totally out of it when James sat back on his heels and reached for her shackle. I knew he wasn't going to let her loose, but he opened one cuff and unhooked it from the headboard. He reached for Courtney and nudged her sideways, urging her to roll over onto her stomach.

She moaned lightly, but let him turn her over. She snuggled into the pillows, assuming he was trying to make her comfortable. Then he reattached the shackle to the headboard.

I knew where this was going, and I wondered how she would react. She'd made such a big deal out of accepting all of this so she could pretend that he wasn't raping her. She'd made such an issue out of refusing to let herself scream.

I was really curious if she'd be able to make herself accept this too. I didn't think she'd make it through this without screaming. I know I'd scream if I let James pull this shit, but he knew I wouldn't let him get away with it.

Courtney was coming around now. She'd felt James moving around and she was curious what was going on. She thought he'd been positioning her to cuddle with her, but he hadn't laid back down beside her.

"Ummm..." Courtney sighed as she stretched like a cat. "That was incredible... I've never felt like that before..." She knew it wasn't exactly true, but we all knew what she meant.

"I'm glad you liked that. It was good for me too."

He reached for her hips, lifting them and pushing her up onto her knees.

"What are you doing?" Courtney asked, looking back over her shoulder at James.

"Get up on your knees. Rest your elbows on the mattress," he said as he placed his hand between her shoulder blades to push her down.

She realized he repositioned her shackles while she was out of it, but she let him position her on the bed. She'd seen that he was hard again, and assumed he wanted to take her from behind. She'd heard of doggy style before, and assumed that was what he was getting her set up for.

Her forearms were resting on the mattress, and her ass was ticking up in the air in front of James as he kneeled behind her. She lowered her head and she could look back under her body to see him behind her between her spread legs.

James reached around under her stomach and his fingers found her clit. He stroked it as his legs pressed against the backs of her thighs. She pushed back against him and moaned at the pleasure that flashed through her body from his caresses.

She'd just cum hard. Harder than she'd ever cum in her whole life, but he was getting her going again. She didn't want to admit it, but she liked what he was doing to her, and she liked the feel of his hands on her body.

James leaned down over her back. "You like that, don't you?"

"Yesss..." She moaned as his fingers worked between her legs, fingering her clit.

"Are you ready for more?"

"Yesss..." She moaned again as she pushed back against him.

James was playing nice for the moment to get her worked up and ready for what he was going to do. He reached down and grasped his cock and stroked it between her legs.

"You want this?"

"Yesss..." She moaned again as as he rubbed his cock through her pussy.

James lined his cock up with her pussy and pushed it into her. She pushed back against him as it sank into her sex, and she moaned as it hit bottom, feeling his cock thrust even deeper inside her than before.

"Oh my god...!" Courtney Moaned as he slammed into her.

James let go of her clit then, as he pulled his hand out from under her, and his fingers sunk into her milky white flesh as he gripped her hips and started to slam his cock into her.

Courtney moaned in frustration, and pulled at the shackles restraining her wrists. The sensation of fullness was incredible, and she loved the feel of James hard cock ramming into her, but the position didn't provide any friction against her clit.

She was aching to reach back between her lags and rub herself while James fucked her, but that was impossible with her hands shackled to the headboard.

James finally turned to look at me, and I already knew what he was going to ask. "Hey, Vic, You wanna give Courtney a hand? She seems to be all tied up at the moment."

I stubbed my cigarette out in the ashtray and got up. "Sure, I'm always ready to help out a friend in need."

I knew James twisted nature, and there was no sense ruining the dress. I unzipped it and steeped out of it, toeing off my heels, I climbed onto the bed beside Courtney.

"Hey, Honey, it looks like you need a little help..."

"Please..." Courtney pleaded. I wasn't one to refuse a little help when she sounded so needy.

I reached between her legs and pushed my hand into her slippery pussy. I easily found her clit and and started to work it furiously for her.

"Oh my god...!" Courtney Moaned as I gave her much needed relief. Besides, I had a front row seat now, and I knew what was coming next.

"You like this..." James said.

"God yesss...!" Courtney moaned.

"I like it too, but I think we're going to try something new..."

"What...? I don't understand..." Courtney moaned, sounding perplexed. She was too far gone to really care.

James pulled back with his cock still halfway shoved in her pussy, and he worked his fingers under the edge of the flared base of the butt plug.

"What are you going!" Courtney gasped. "Wait...! No!" she yelled, finally realizing what James had in mind, but it was too late.

James ripped the plug out of her ass, and immediately replaced it with his cock before the opening could shrink. His hands gripped her hips tight, and then he was forcing his massive cock into her ass.

Courtney lost her battle with giving in and just going with it. She gave a blood curdling scream as he forced his cock into her ass. He took it slow and didn't do any real damage, but I could feel the excruciating burning sensation radiating from her asshole in Courtney's mind as his cock pushed inexorably into her ass.

James didn't stop until he was buried to the hilt in her back door.

"You see, that wasn't so bad." James said.

"Pull it out...! You fucking bastard...! Get off of me...!" Courtney screamed at him. As she strained at her shackles and tried to buck and wriggle out from under him, but his grip on her was like iron, and she wasn't going anywhere he didn't move her.

"Temper, temper, now... You're going to get used to this. Sure, it's a little tight now, but you were a virgin, babe. It's your first time, remember? You needed to be fucked someplace you'd never been fucked before."

"Just make it stop... Courtney pleaded. Please... Get it out..."

"Out...?" James teased, pulling back and sliding part way out.

"Yesss...!" Courtney moaned in relief.

"No, I'm not done with you yet," and he reversed direction, driving back in.

Courtney screamed again.

"Let's get this party started," James teased. "I don't think Courtney likes this..."

James started to fuck her ass, using his grip on her hips to move her on him, pulling part way out, and then pulling her ass back against him as he drove his cock back into her.

I hadn't stopped working her clit, and it gave her some relief. I lay back on the bed and reached both hands between her legs. I found her pussy and shoved two fingers into her, finger fucking her pussy while I furiously frigged her clit.

I knew she needed to cum again to help her deal with James invading cock. It would take the edge off her pain and make it easier to deal with.

Courtney had mostly stopped screaming by now. She was as about as adjusted as she was going to get to having him ram his massive cock into her virgin asshole.

It was more of a high pitched grunt now as he shoved forward into her.

Regardless, I could sense that she didn't really think it was so bad. She liked it more than she'd ever admit out loud, and was already contemplating how long it would take to stretch out her asshole so she could do this without the intense burning sensation when he pushed into her.

She was getting off on the mix of pleasure and pain. She liked the intense feel of fullness in her bowels from James invading cock, and the way it was juxtaposed with the feel of my fingers driving her to orgasm.

I could understand where she was coming from. There was no way in hell I'd ever let James do this to me, but I liked it when he stuck his finger up my ass sometimes when he fucked me. I'd let him get away with that much, but that was all.

Courtney was almost there. I stroked her fast and furiously, and them I could feel the orgasm flash through her mind as she released. Her pussy clenched and pulsed around my fingers, and I could feel her clit throbbing under my fingers.

Her arms collapsed against the bed and she panted into the pillow as waves of intense pleasure flashed through her mind and body, and she lay there quivering with the sudden release. She would have totally collapsed, she had almost no control over her body or legs, but James held her up with his iron grip on her hips.

James felt her orgasm too, and he knew she'd reached her limit. He was holding out, waiting for her to get there. Once he felt her cum, he slammed forward, burying himself to the hilt in her ass, and blew his load into her butt.

He grunted with the effort and his body shook with the strain. I could feel the intense pleasure in his mind as he shot his cum into her ass as spurt after spurt pulsed out of his cock.

He had the presence of mind to pull out of her ass before he collapsed on the bed beside Courtney. He started to move towards me, but I pushed him away, and he chuckled as he rolled onto her other side.

"That was fun. What do you say, Vic? You wanna join the party?" James said as he reached across Courtney and pushed his hand between my legs to grab my crotch. I let him get away with that much, but he was done for the night.

"There's no way you're fucking me after you just had your cock rammed up her ass. Go take a shower and go to bed. We have work to do tomorrow."

"Are you sure? Your panties are wet. I know that turned you on. You like to watch. You could come take a shower with me..."

"Get the fuck out of here, James. I'll take care of Courtney."

James chuckled. "Fine, I figured you'd say no." Then James turned to Courtney. "How you holding up kiddo?" James asked, sounding surprisingly compassionate.

Courtney was quietly sobbing into the pillow as she lay between us shackled to the bed. Her mind was in turmoil. She wanted to be angry with him, but she wasn't. She knew she should scream at him for violating her trust and body like that, but she'd liked it. She wanted to tell him to get the fuck out, but she wanted him to stay. She knew she should tell him she hated what he'd done to her, but she knew she was going to do it again. She wanted to do it again, and that scared her.

"I'm ok..." She said in a tiny voice.

"Ok. Take a shower and get some sleep. I'll leave the lube. Wash the butt plug before you put it back in."

He assumed she was going to follow his instructions and continue to wear it like he told her to. For her part, she never even considered balking or saying no or refusing to do it. It seemed like the natural order of the universe to her that James would tell her to do something, and she should follow his orders without hesitation.

Somehow during the course of this association, she had become his. He owned her now, and she was ok with that. She knew what he was. She knew what he did. She knew she wasn't his only woman and he simply didn't have an exclusive bone in his body, but she was ok with that as long as she could have him like this.

"Ok..." She replied without thinking, simply acknowledging his orders.

"Good night, Courtney," and James leaned over and kissed her cheek.

He climbed off the bed and collected his clothes to leave. He left the butt plug, the tube of lube and the key to the handcuffs on the nightstand and let himself out of the room.

I reached for the key when he was gone and knelt at the head of the bed, opening the shackles to release Courtney. I could feel her shivering. She was still quietly sobbing into the pillow, but she was cold too, now that James was gone.

I lay down beside her, and pulled the covers up over us. I reached for her and pulled Courtney's head onto my shoulder and stroked her hair. She seemed surprised at first, but then cuddled up to me, wrapping her arms around me.

"Am I sick for letting James do all those things to me Victoria?" Courtney asked.

"He still would have done them, whether you said no or not, only he would have been more violent if you'd said no and he had to force you."

"I didn't want to say no. I liked it. I liked all of it. Even at the end when it hurt so bad I couldn't even think... I should be running like hell, but I know I'm going to let him do it all again. I want him to do it all again. Jesus Christ, I even want him to make me scream like that again... That's gotta be fucking insane."

"I'm the last person in the world who should be commenting on the state of anyone's sanity. You know what you want. If you like it, then nobody has a right to tell you it's wrong."

"Is it like that for you? Does he do all of that to you too?"

"Sort of, only I don't let him have so much control. I don't let him tie me up or chain me to the bed. I'll fuck him, but he's never been in my ass, and he never will be. The most he's gotten up there is a finger, and that was because he surprised me."

"Surprised you? How?"

"Let's just say it was a lapse on my part... you know how it is when your mind goes away and there's no thinking involved for a while... It was already there when I could think again, and I let him leave it there because I liked it."

"Oh..."

"You know, I finally figured out how a pretty girl like you makes it through high school and college without ever really having a boyfriend or dating much."

"Um... you did? How..."

I leaned into her and pressed my lips to hers, silencing her with a kiss. Courtney was startled for a minute, but it didn't take long for her to respond, and then she was kissing me back.

It was soft and sweet and so different from kissing a guy. Her lips parted when she felt the tip of my tongue on her lips, and then the tip of her tongue was touching mine. We lay there like that for a while, making out in her bed. It was what she needed to wind down and ground herself after her marathon emotional roller coaster ride with James.

After a while we just cuddled and I held her while I stroked her back and her hair.

"So when did you decide to start liking guys again?" I asked. "I could tell you were attracted to James that first day on the base. That's why I asked for you."

"I never stopped liking guys. I just felt more comfortable with girls. I think guys were intimidated by my looks and were afraid to ask me out. I was kind of shy and didn't put myself out there. I was that unattainable girl that was too pretty to date that all the guys assumed was stuck on herself and would just shoot them down and say no if they asked me out, so none of them ever did.

"If they would have bothered asking, they would have found out that I was just as shy and self-conscious as they were. I had a close circle of girlfriends, and we figured out how to keep ourselves entertained.

"I just stuck to what I knew and was comfortable with at the academy. My roommate was like me, so we just focused on school and took care of each other. It's not like we were in love or anything, we just went our separate ways when we graduated and received our duty assignments. The Air Force didn't care as long as we were discrete and didn't flaunt it. They had enough trouble riding herd on the male cadets, and we didn't cause problems, so they just stuck to the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."

"That makes sense. The military likes to keep things easy. It's the busy bodies that want to get into everybody else's business that stir up trouble."

"What about you and James? Have you been together for a long time?"

"He was assigned to me about ten years ago. One thing led to another, and he ended up in my bed. He has needs, and it was one way to keep him in line."

"But you're not really in love with him..."

"We have an interesting relationship. I wouldn't call it love, but we care about each other. He's a callous rogue, but I know when push comes to shove, he's got my back."

"So that's it for you? You and James just scratch each other's itches? It seems like there should be more..."

I knew what she was really asking. She wanted to know if there was going to be more for her. Was she destined to finding some sort of simple accommodation like I had with James, or was it possible to live this sort of life and have more? I didn't really have an answer for her. I'd never tried to have more. This was enough for me.

"I know what you're asking, Courtney, but I don't have an answer for you."

"So, is this all you've ever known then? Have you ever had any other relationships?"

"I was married once, but that was ages ago. I was happy and I had a daughter, but that feels like it was in another lifetime." It was, but she didn't need to know that.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, startled. "I mean... that's nice... I wouldn't mind trying that someday with the right guy... What happened...?"

I knew what she was thinking. I didn't strike her as the maternal sort. I wasn't anymore, but I had been back then, before the SHOP ended it all. Now there was only the mission and quiet moments like this.

"Is it really that startling to think I could have a child, or that I could have led a different life at some point? I'll admit; it was a very long time ago. I was still in college, but we were going to make it work, and still both graduate... That didn't happen either... I did finish school, but years later..."

"Um... If you don't mind my asking, how old are you Victoria?"

"I don't mind. How old do I look?"

Courtney considered for a minute. She thought about shaving off a few years to be nice, but in the end, she gave me her honest opinion. Lying in bed together in each other's arms tended to make some people tell the truth.

"Maybe early thirties, thirty-two or thirty-three?"

I chuckled. I suppose the process of reanimating my dead body had shaved off a couple of years. The time spent in the regeneration processors to repair the damage that had killed me healed everything, not just the bullet hole in the back of my head. I knew that I aged more slowly now too because of the changes that had been made when they rewrote my genetic code during the regeneration processing.

"Thank you for being generous. I'm forty-two, not thirty-two."

She didn't want to appear startled again or tell me I looked really good for my age. She decided to change the subject. It was a more difficult subject, but I'd been forced to come to terms with it as part of my conditioning. The emotions surrounding the subject had been edited out of my psyche before they re-inserted my soul back into my body.

"What about your daughter and your husband? Do you still see them?"

"They're dead. They died a very long time ago..." I still felt a twinge, thinking about them, even though it was impossible for me to feel any emotions in conjunction with their memories. The emotions had been edited out, but the memories were still there.

"I'm so sorry..." Courtney said. She hugged me a little tighter, and I could feel her compassion.

I wasn't going to go down this path. They were part of my past. The mission was my future.

"Thank you. Do you want to take that shower now? It's getting late..."

"I don't know if I can walk... James really did a number on me..."

"I'll help you. C'mon, let's get you cleaned up, and then you need to sleep."

Courtney nodded. I helped her get out of bed, and let her lean on my shoulder to gingerly walk into the bathroom. She picked up the butt plug and the lube and took them with her into the bathroom with out being prompted. I ran the shower for her, and then took off my bra and panties and got into the shower with her to help her so she wouldn't slip and fall.

I helped her wash, and the hot water soothed her aches and helped her feel human again. I dried her off, and got myself dried off, and then she surprised me by asking me to help her with the butt plug. She bent over the counter, and I lubed it back up and helped her put it back in. We went back into the other room and I helped her climb back into bed. I was turning away to get my clothes to leave when she reached out to me.

"Don't go, Victoria... Stay with me tonight..." she asked.

I could feel her need. She wasn't asking me to stay and play. She just wanted me to hold her again. She didn't want to be alone.

I nodded and climbed back into bed with her, gathering her into my arms, stroking her hair and just holding her. I realized she was about the same age as my Charlene would be if she hadn't been born special and they would have let her live. She'd been just as dangerous as Dwyer, though, and there was no way to control her power back then.

We lay like that until sleep carried us away to oblivion and I could live the life I should have lived in the land of dreams.

**Author's note:**

Hopefully this wasn't such a terrible hunter chapter. I considered cutting this, but it was written, and it does provide some important information.

The next chapter of _The Darkest Part of the Night _should probably be ready next week. I'm kind of at that point where I need to start alternate posting chapters of the stories as long as I'm not quite as many chapters ahead anymore.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much.


	16. Sunday in the Park

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 16 Sunday in the Park

I slept in Sunday morning. Charlie had gotten up early to go fishing again. It amazed me that he was going out fishing in the middle of winter, but apparently this was their big season up here.

The large wild winter-run steelhead of the Northwest part of Washington was why Forks was often called _the Steelhead Fishing Capitol of the World_. Supporting the last stronghold of wild steelhead in the country, Olympic Peninsula Rivers such as the Hoh, Bogachiel, Sol Duc, and Calawah were home to the largest strain of winter-run steelhead in the world.

The season didn't really hit its stride until mid-December, and ran through April, so I knew Charlie was going to be out on some river somewhere every spare moment he had for the next couple of months.

That was ok with me. I was planning a lazy day at home. Edward, Alice and the Cullens had plans. There weren't any chores to get caught up on, but I wanted to do my shield practice routine and get a chunk of my reading done for school. It really was easier to complete my homework assignments faster when I'd read all the text books. It would give me more time to concentrate on my trig homework.

I did my shield routine early after breakfast, and then took a shower before I made lunch. I wasn't planning on seeing anyone today, so I just pulled my hair up into a ponytail and didn't bother with makeup. I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, and I was good to go. I grabbed my books, and curled with a full belly and a textbook up on the sofa in the living room to do my reading after a hearty lunch.

The subject matter was a little dry, but I worked through it. I was surprised by the sound of a motor out front. I wasn't expecting anyone, and Charlie wasn't going to be home until late. I didn't recognize the sound of the engine. It wasn't Charlie's cruiser or Alice's Porsche. I was a little apprehensive and got up to go look.

I relaxed a little when there was a knock on the door. The shop would have simply kicked in the door if it was James and Victoria. Besides, Laurent would have shut down my powers by now.

I stepped up to the door and cracked it open to peek out, and then pulled it open.

"Hey, Jake," I said. Jacob black was standing on my porch, and his pickup truck was parked on the street in front of the house.

"Hi, Bella, I wanted to come over and see if we were still good after what happened the other night at the school."

"Sure... Come on in," I said, stepping back out of the way so Jacob could walk into the house. I was a little self-conscious, dressed as I was and I crossed my arms over my chest as I led him into the living room.

Jacob sat down in Charlie's easy chair when I curled my bare feet under me as I sat back down on the sofa and pulled the afghan off the back of the sofa to cover myself.

"So, what's up, Jake?" I asked when we were settled.

"I just wanted to see you. I didn't like the way we left things on Friday night at the wrestling meet. I didn't do anything wrong, but it felt like I was the one getting run out of the place, and you stayed there with that Cullen kid after he tried to push me around."

"I'm sorry, Jake... It just seemed like the easiest way to defuse the situation."

"So did you go out with him yesterday? I know you said you were going to their house."

"I'm not going to talk to you about what I do when I'm with Edward. I won't talk to him about what I do with you either. Anything else isn't fair to either of you."

"Ok...

"Mostly I hung out with Alice. We did our hair and nails and makeovers. All of us went out to dinner later, and we went to Port Angeles to watch a movie."

"Ok... I'm confused, Bella. You like me right?"

"Yes, I like you Jake. I'd like to think we're friends."

"Just friends? Is there anything else there? I kissed you the other night and it was incredible. It was the best kiss of my life. I know you felt it too."

"I liked it..."

"So why are you hanging out with Edward?"

"I like Edward too, Jacob. He's my friend too. He's my friend, and he's a boy, but he isn't my boyfriend. Neither are you. I can spend some time with both of you. I can get to know both of you. I'll go on dates with both of you, but I'm not ready to call anyone my boyfriend or be exclusive or make any kind of commitments."

"You're really cool with that?"

"I like both of you as friends, but I know I'm not in love with anyone yet. I've only even known either of you for about a week. I haven't even been on a date with you yet."

"And I'm supposed to just date you and sit back and know you're going to be with Masen too? That you're doing all the same things with him that you're doing with me?"

"I'm not going to sneak around and lie to you. I think I've been completely up front and open with both of you. I'm not going to cheat on you because I don't belong to you. I'm not your girlfriend. If you can't accept that I'm not ready to make commitments or have a steady boyfriend, then don't ask me out."

"I want to spend time with you, Bella. I know we could be great together. It just kills me that you want to hang out with Edward when I'm not around."

"I'm sorry, Jacob, but that's the way it's going to be for a while. Somebody whose opinion I value told me to follow my heart and decide what's best for me, and the only way I'm going to figure out who I want to be with is to go out with different guys. Everything is going to change anyhow in two years when I leave town to go to college. I'm not going to get tied down into an exclusive boyfriend girlfriend relationship until I know it's the right choice to make.

"I'm not going to jump into something even semi-permanent until I'm sure of what I want. Making up my mind is always the hardest part for me. Once I make decisions, I generally stick to them to the bitter end, regardless of the consequences, so it's really important to me to make sure I make the right decision."

"Ok, so where does that leave us?"

"I still haven't made up my mind. If you can't accept that, then I won't hold you to anything. If you don't want to go out with me because I'm going to see Edward too, then I'll accept that."

"Oh no, I'm not backing down and just letting him have you… If I quit coming around, you'll be his girlfriend in a heartbeat. As long as I've got a shot and you don't tell me to stay away, I'm still in this."

"It's not a competition, Jacob. Just be yourself and if we're meant to be together, then we'll figure that out."

"Fine, what are you doing today? You want to get out of here for a while?"

"I was just catching up on my reading for school, but no, I don't have any plans."

"Reading for school? Is it an assignment, like homework? Did they assign a novel or something?"

"No, it's not homework. I was just reading through the textbooks for a few of my classes. I have a novel too, for English, but I read that at night for fun. I've already read it before."

"Seriously? You're reading textbooks? Why would you want to do that?"

"Because you're supposed to, Jake. Why do you think they give them to you? How do you expect to learn anything if you don't read the book?"

Jacob shrugged. "Nobody ever told me I was supposed to read them. I thought they just gave them to us because all the assignments were in them. You know, like chapter review questions..."

"The questions are there to test you to make sure you understood what you read. They don't give you the book to just look up the answers to the questions."

"Seriously? Nobody has ever that explained to me like that, Bella. In eleven years of education, I have never once had a teacher ever tell me I was supposed to read the book. Sometimes they told us to read a chapter, or part of a chapter, but nobody ever said read your text book."

"Well, now you know. You too can be a straight A student."

"As if. I'll be happy to pass and get the hell out so I can put the experience behind me, and then get on with my real life."

"That's one way of looking at it..."

"So, you want to get out of here? Did you eat lunch already?"

"Umm... I ate lunch, but what did you have in mind? I could have a snack..."

"How about ice cream? We could run by Sully's Drive-in, and then hang out for a while, maybe go for a drive."

"Ok. That sounds fun. Wait here while I go get dressed and call Charlie."

"Ok, but don't take all day putting your face on. You look great now."

"I'll just be a minute..."

I got up from the couch and went upstairs. I grabbed a pair of jeans and just pulled a t-shirt on over my tank top. I sat down to pull on some ankle socks and stepped into my sneakers. Jacob said I didn't need makeup, but I just dusted on some matte powder and applied some lip balm to my lips. A touch of lip gloss and I was good to go. I left my hair up in the ponytail and grabbed my leather jacket and purse. I fished my cell phone out as I went out the door.

I speed dialed Charlie's number as I went down to meet Jacob.

"_Chief Swan,_" Charlie answered.

"Hey, Charlie, it's Bella."

"_Hi, Bella, what are you up to now?_" Charlie asked.

"Jacob came over, and I'm going to go up to Sully's with him to get an ice cream, ok?"

"_You're going out with Jacob today? What about Edward?_"

"Jacob and I are friends, Charlie."

"_Fine, so are you going home after you have your ice cream?_"

"I don't know yet... Jacob wants to hang out for a while. We might go for a drive."

"_Ok... Call me back if you go out of town, ok? I want to know where to find you, Bella._"

"Ok, I'll call and let you know."

"_Is Jake staying for dinner?_" Charlie asked.

I placed my hand over the phone to ask Jacob, but he answered before I could get the question out.

"Sure, I'll stay for dinner if you want me to."

"Yes, he's staying." I said after I removed my hand. I hadn't realized the speaker on the phone was loud enough that he could hear both sides of the conversation.

"_Fine, well we can order pizza or something if you don't want to cook._"

"Fish aren't biting?" I asked."

"_Naw. I'm just throwing them all back. They're all too small yet. All there is, are hatchery raised steely's so far. The wild fish won't start running for another week or so._"

"Fine, I'll order pizzas."

"_Bye, Bella._"

I hit the button to end the call and snapped the phone shut.

"Jeez, and I thought Billy was bad. He keeps you on a pretty short leash, doesn't he?"

"He just worries about me. I'm all he has now, and he's afraid of losing me too. He was pretty lonely before I came to live with him. I don't mind letting him know where I'm going to be."

"Whatever." Jacob said as he took my hand and we left.

I locked the door behind us and we went to his truck. Jacob didn't open the door for me or help me get into the truck. He was perfectly aware of the fact that I could open a door by myself and climb into the cab. Jacob didn't bother with his seatbelt, but I hunted around until I found mine. We were already to the corner at the end of the second block before I got my belt fastened.

It was a short drive to Sully's, and Jacob pulled into the parking lot. He pulled up in front of the drive-in, and parked the truck. He got out, and waited for me on the sidewalk to get out of the truck. He reached for my hand and then opened the door for us to go into the burger joint.

Sully's offered a full ice cream parlor dessert menu. They had soft serve ice cream in chocolate or vanilla or twist, or they had a flavored version of the vanilla that injected flavor stripes when they dispensed the ice cream so you could choose from a variety of flavors. They had sundaes and floats, shakes and malts, and all the toppings.

"What kind of ice cream do you want, Bella?" Jacob asked as we stood at the counter studying the menu.

"I don't know... What are you going to get?" I asked. I was really trying to gage what kind of price range we were talking here. I knew Jacob had a job, but I didn't want to order something too expensive.

"I'm going to get a chocolate malt. Go ahead and order whatever you want, I've got it covered."

"Ok... I'll take a chocolate ice cream cone, dipped in chocolate."

The girl behind the counter was paying attention while we decided. She confirmed sizes and rang up the order. Jacob paid her, and then she got my ice cream cone first. She handed it to me with a napkin, and we went to sit down while she worked on Jacob's malt.

I slid into the seat of the booth. I was expecting Jacob to sit across from me, but he slid in beside me, scooting close so our legs were touching. It wasn't really crowded, and it felt nice sitting so close to him. He reached his arm around my shoulders, and pulled me a little closer while I ate my ice cream.

I was in heaven with my ice cream. I was a total chocoholic, and I loved the hard chocolaty shell from the chocolate dip over the soft chocolate ice cream inside. The shell cracked and came off in chunks where it was completely solid. Parts of it were still soft enough to bite through and lick off, and it made the ice cream inside so much better.

Jacob just watched and smiled while I attacked the ice cream and devoured it. Once I had the soft inside exposed, I had to lick the ice cream up to keep it from melting too fast and dripping.

After a couple of minutes, the girl from the counter brought over Jacobs malt. She set a tall frosty milkshake glass in front of him and left the metal mixing cup from the shake machine with the rest of his malt so he could pour it into his glass to top it off and refill it.

The girl had left two straws after she saw how we were sitting. Jacob stripped the paper off the straws, and stuck them into the malt, and pointed one at me.

"Go ahead and drink some of the malt if you want, Bella. They make an awesome shake here," Jacob said.

I was to the point where most of the chocolate shell was gone now, and I had the dripping under control.

"Ok…" I replied as I leaned even closer to take the tip of the bendy straw between my lips.

The malt was very thick. It was difficult to get anything at all through the straw, but what I tasted was amazing. I nodded but focused on my ice cream cone. Jacob had a long ice cream spoon to eat part of the malt, but I knew it would be easier to drink with a straw when it melted a little.

"So, where do you want to go for a drive? Jacob asked.

I shrugged. "Where do you like to go when you're in town?" I asked.

"Bella's house," Jacob said with a smirk, "but I've already been there. It's not raining yet. You want to check out the park? I hang out there sometimes when I'm in town. Actually, the guys were kinda bummed that I wouldn't let them tag along, but they knew I was going to see you. Usually when we come into town during the day we go to the skate park."

"That sounds cool. Show me the park. So, you skate? Are you any good?"

Jacob shrugged. "I've got some tricks. I'm no Tony Hawk, but I can skate without face planting in the bowl."

"Is it very far from here?" I asked.

"Nothing in Forks is very far from anything else, but it's practically right across the street. You could see it from here if there weren't trees in the way," he said, pointing across the highway and north across the street.

It was kind of neat and silly romantic sitting next to Jacob in the malt shop sharing his milkshake, drinking it with two straws like something out of an old movie. I never would have imagined doing something like this in a million years, but her I was, sitting here with him doing it.

We finished our ice cream, and then slid out of the booth when we were ready to leave. Jacob held my hand as we walked back to his truck. He opened my door this time and I climbed in. He ran around and got in, and we drove across the highway to Tilicum Park.

The park was up a side street that ran parallel to the highway about a block north of the drive-in. Jacob pulled into the parking lot for the park and drove up to the north end of the lot.

There were trees along the edge of the parking lot in the park, with picnic tables interspersed between them. There was a big open sided shelter house for picnics, gatherings and parties. We drove past the playground, and I could see basketball courts and a couple of tennis courts out past a grassy area.

"There are softball and baseball fields over on the other side of the park," Jacob said as he parked the truck.

He shut off the motor, and we got out. The place wasn't crowded, but his truck wasn't the only car in the lot. Jacob pulled the back of the seat forward after I got out. There was a storage space behind the seat, and he pulled out a skateboard. It was decorated with stickers on the bottom, and looked well-worn from frequent use, but in good condition.

Jacob walked around the truck and took my hand, "C'mon, let's go," he said, and led me down the path through the trees into the park.

There was a small square building with a peaked roof that held restrooms. The skate park started from there. There was a long smooth straight strip of concrete almost a quarter of a mile long running east into the park from the restrooms. The long skate path went around a corner at the east end and there was a whale tale on that end of the strip with an inverted half pipe that fed onto a quarter pipe ramp.

It was like a floating pump bump to floating quarter pipe. Some called it a whale tale, some a roly-poly. You could call it whatever you wanted to, but people just skated on it. The long straightaway had some grind rails and trick blocks, and fed into a brick embankment where it turned the corner to the north.

There was a 2500 square foot bowl with tile and some bleacher style seating for people to sit and watch the skaters in the bowl on the northeast corner of the skate park.

Jacob dropped the skateboard on the concrete path, and controlled it with his foot so it didn't roll away.

"We can go someplace else..." Jacob said, turning to me. "This has got to be pretty boring for you."

"No, this is cool. Show me what you've got. I like to watch. I'll meet you at the other end, ok?"

Jacob nodded, and stepped on the skateboard, effortlessly rolling away like he was floating on a cloud. After he was a couple of yards away, he started to push faster with one foot and pick up speed. I didn't try to follow him. I cut across the grass diagonally to head for the bleachers at the other end of the park.

Jacob was good. He just wasn't full of himself and didn't want to brag, but he had more than a couple of tricks. There were a couple of other guys out there, and they'd try something and fail, and then get back on their boards and try it again. Jacob didn't fall down or fail. He effortlessly flowed through the skate park like a force of nature, jumping obstacles, grinding the rails on the curb blocks and moving faster than a fast jog without even trying.

He was going to clear the course before I made it to the bleachers, but that was ok. Jacob turned the corner and got air off the embankment, doing a handstand on the top edge, and then effortlessly dropped back onto the course, skating into the bowl.

The bowl was like a smooth kind of shallow swimming pool that had been drained of water. A lot of skaters had used empty swimming pools like this, but this one was purpose built for skating as part of the park. It had built in drains so it didn't fill up with water from the rain, and there were gentle curved transitions up the sides, instead of straight sides like most built-in pool would have. It was more bowl shaped than pool like.

The bowl was fairly large and sort of oblong shaped with three linked bowl shaped sections, large, medium, and small. The largest or widest part was also the deepest part, and the edges were higher than Jacobs head when he was standing on his skateboard in the bottom.

Jacob was skating the bowl when I made it to the bleachers I sat down on the lowest row. I got a cigarette out of my purse and sat and smoked while I watched Jacob Skate. He skated for a while, and then easily stepped up on the edge of the bowl. He stopped the skateboard with his foot, and stepped on the end flipping it up into his hand to hold it by the grind guard along the bottom edge.

He walked over and sat down beside me.

"Bored yet?" Jacob asked as he leaned against me, bumping his shoulder into mine.

"No, this is really cool. I told you I like to watch. You're really awesome out there." I said, bumping his shoulder back.

"You want to give it a try?"

"Me? No way! I have no balance or coordination at all. I'd totally fall on my ass, and then we'd just end up at the emergency room when I cracked my head open."

"Ok, so wanna go for a walk?"

"Sure... I think I've figured out how to do that without falling down."

Jacob stood up, and then reached for my hand. I took his hand, and he hauled me up to my feet, pulling me into his side and draping his arm around me to hold me close while we walked. I kind of liked it and snuggled closer while I let Jacob pick where we walked to.

There was a small grove of trees with a couple of picnic tables north of the skate park across the grass. It wasn't exactly private, but there weren't a lot of other people around. It was Sunday, and the Department of Natural Resources yard north of the park and the grove of trees was closed today. It was December and cold out for normal people. Only serious skaters were in the park. There were some guys playing basketball, but they were far enough away that I couldn't even hear them yelling as they played ball, and I could barely make them out through the chain link fence that surrounded the basketball courts.

Jacob led us to one of the picnic tables. He didn't say anything, but dropped the skateboard as he moved to the table to sit down. He ignored the bench, but stepped up on it and sat on the edge of the table. He reached for my hand and hauled me up to sit beside him. We were facing back towards the park and could see where everyone was and what they were doing.

"So, when we were talking last week you mentioned you party. You wanna get high with me?" Jacob asked.

Jacob reached into his jacket and took out a pipe and a small ziplock baggie with some greenish brown chunks in it. I wasn't real experienced with this, but I knew they were marijuana buds. I'd tried it a couple of times before, but I'd never bought it, and it wasn't something I done a lot. It was a different feeling than drinking a couple of beers, but I knew it wasn't any worse than that.

"Umm... Sure..." I said a little tentatively.

I'd never smoked from a pipe before. The times I'd tried it before, the people Iwas with already had hand rolled joints to smoke, and it was like smoking a cigarette, only you held the smoke in longer before exhaling.

The buds looked firm and moist with fine hair sticking to them and had a rich pungent odor. Jacob broke off part of a bud and tamped it down into the bowl of the pipe. He held the pipe in his mouth and fired up with a lighter he took from his pocket. He took a hit off pipe and the bud in the bowl glowed orange like the cherry on a cigarette.

Jacob passed the pipe to me, and said, "Try some of this bud. This is some primo shit, babe, it'll fuck you up."

I was careful how I took the pipe so I didn't burn myself on the bowl. The smoke was different from tobacco smoke and had a heavy sweet pungent skunky odor.

I held the pipe to my lips, drawing in the smoke, inhaling it to take a hit off the pipe. Therewas more smoke than a cigarette or a joint. I passed the pipe back to Jacob while holding the smoke in my lungs in for a couple of seconds before blowing it out. The smoke was harsher than cigarette smoke and burned a bit more, but I didn't cough. This wasn't the first time I'd tried it, and I knew what to expect.

Jacob took a hit and passed the pipe back to me. I took a hit and passed it back to him. The bud in the small bowl of the pipe didn't last long and Jacob tapped out the ash and refilled it with another chunk of bud. He fired it up, and then passed it back to me.

After the first bowl I began to feel light, happy, and everything was funnier than it should have been. It felt like the day had been improved and I felt like I was floating although I knew I was still sitting on the table. It was hard to describe. It felt like my senses were expanded and I saw the world around me in more detail. It was easier to really seriously focus on one thing and concentrate on it.

It was a completely different feeling than being drunk on alcohol. It was more of a euphoric happiness than an impaired inebriated feeling. It made me more relaxed, not in like a lazy way, but in a calm well-being way. I didn't lose myself, but was still fully aware of everything I was doing, but it just felt different.

Jacob put his pipe away after the second bowl, and then he stepped down off the table, moving beside me at the end of the table.

He turned to me and placed his hands on my waist, effortlessly lifting me up like I weighed nothing at all and sat me back down on the end of the picnic table. He was standing in front of me, leaning against the edge of the table between my knees. His hands were still on my hips, lightly tracing patterns, and he leaned into me, resting his forehead against mine.

"Is this ok, Bella?"

"Sure, Jake, this is nice," I answered, and it was. I liked spending time with Jacob like this.

"I need to kiss you..."

"Ok..." I answered him, maybe a little timidly. I was so happy, and I really wanted him to kiss me.

He moved closer, closing the distance between us, and I felt his lips touch mine. His was kiss was soft and gentle as his lips moved on mine.

My arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer. I returned the gentle pressure as I kissed him back.

I sucked his lower lip between mine, running my tongue across it, tasting him…

His lips parted and he let me take the initiative, deepening the kiss, slipping my tongue into his mouth to tangle with his…

The tip of my tongue touched his electricity flashed down my spine making my body tingled with energy. Fire erupted through my belly igniting my passion, I could feel the dampness between my legs and I knew my panties were going to be wet.

I'd never felt so incredibly horny in my entire life, and some part of me recognized that it was a reaction to the marijuana, but I really didn't care right now. I just needed to kiss Jacob and I needed him to touch me.

I felt light and boneless in Jacob's arms. I would have collapsed in a swoon if I wasn't sitting on the edge of the table and I reveled in the sensations that coursed through my body from my lips to my toes.

His tongue slipped into my mouth, swirling with mine and the taste and sensation was incredible. It was slick and sweet and velvety and absolutely incredible as he kissed me and stroked my back and legs.

Jacob's lips were greedily pressed to mine and our tongues wrestled back and forth as he kissed me harder, and then he was backing off, breaking the kiss. I heard shouts from the yard behind us.

I turned to look, and the couple of guys hadn't even noticed us, but it brought to mind the fact that there were people out and about, and they'd see us if we did much more. People might even be watching that we were unaware of.

"This park is too public, Bella. I want to really kiss you... I need to touch you..."

"Ok..."

"Let's get out of here, ok?"

"Sure..."

Jacob lifted me off the table and then collected his skateboard. He took my hand and we were crossing the park back to his truck.

"Where should we go?" Jacob asked.

I was sure he had places he could take me, but he wanted to know what I was ok with. If I went out of town, I'd have to call Charlie, and I didn't want to talk to him right now. He might suspect something if I sounded weird or laughed too much on the phone.

"Let's go back to my place. Charlie won't be back for hours yet." I told Jacob.

We were crossing the park when I noticed the fluffy white puffs floating down out of the sky. At first I wondered if I was so incredibly high that I was seeing hallucinations, like pink elephants or flying pigs, but I knew stuff like that didn't really happen. Not from just smoking a little pot. Movies totally exaggerated the effects of smoking like this. it wasn't like that at all, despite what movies and anti-drug propaganda preached.

I was still staring at the puff balls drifting down out of the sky. It was kind of beautiful, and I reached out my hand to catch one as it fell. It was cold, and melted almost as soon as it touched my hand.

"Jacob, what is this?" I asked. "You're seeing this too, right?"

Jacob laughed, and seemed to find my question hilarious. "It's snow, Bella," Jacob replied when he stopped laughing.

"Snow? I wasn't expecting puff balls... I thought snow was individual flakes. Isn't every one supposed to be different?"

"Sometimes, when it's colder out or there's a heavier snow storm. These puffs are made up of a bunch of individual flakes clumped together as they fall. This won't even stick to the ground, and if it does, then it'll melt in the first rain."

"If it's cold enough to snow, then we'll have ice if this all melts... "

"Welcome to winter in Washington."

We crossed the park in the first snow shower I'd ever seen in my life, and it was kind of amazing and beautiful. It wasn't at all what I expected.

We climbed into the truck, and Jacob drove us back to the house. We had no trouble getting there. A little bit of pot like this enhanced your senses, and if anything, made you more cautious. The roads weren't even slick yet, and the snow was melting as fast as it hit the ground.

Jacob pulled up in front of the house and we got out of the truck. I took his hand as we crossed the lawn and went up the steps, but I had to let go to fish my key out of my purse. I opened the door, and then grabbed Jacobs hand again as we went inside.

I didn't even hesitate, and led him up the steps to my room. He closed my bedroom behind us as we went inside and I heard the lock click shut.

Jacob reached for me and pulled me against his body. My hands were pressed against his chest, but I wasn't pushing him away. I looked up at him as he towered above me, and he leaned down.

I stood on my tip toes to meet him halfway. His lips found mine, pressing against them, kissing me hard. I returned the pressure, kissing him back. His hands were on my ass, squeezing and kneading my ass cheeks as he kissed me and I could feel his fingers brushing against my sex through my jeans.

I broke the kiss, stepping back.

"Bella…?" Jacob asked, starting to question me. He probably wanted to know if he'd gone too far and thought I wanted him to stop.

I reached for his hands, pulling him with me. "C'mon, lets get more comfortable…" I shucked off my jacket, tossing it into the rocking chair, and then climbed onto the bed, scooting back to make room for Jacob.

He stopped at he edge of the bed and took off his leather jacket, and then sat on the edge of my bed and took off his boots. Then Jacob followed me onto the bed, lying down beside me facing me.

"Come here, you," Jacob said, reaching for me, and pulling me against his body. His hand was on my hip, pulling my leg over his and his other hand moved into my hair, cradling my head as he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me hard.

His lips were parted and I could feel his tongue licking the line between my lips. My lips parted to allow him entry and his tongue was pushing into my mouth to swirl around mine. The kiss was hot and passionate and incredible, and swept me away as I reveled in the sensations coursing through my body.

We were moving on the bed as we kissed and stroked and made out, caressing each other's bodies. My back was pressed into the mattress as Jacob moved over me. His hand reached for my knee, dragging my leg out from between us as Jacob settled between my legs.

My legs were splayed open, wrapped around his hips as my fingers knotted in his hair, pulling his lips against mine. I could feel the hard bulge in his jeans pressing into my core, grinding against me, and it felt incredible, but somehow lacking and I knew I wanted more.

My hips were bucking against him, trying to increase the friction I knew I needed, but just couldn't seem to get.

My hands found the hem of Jacobs t-shirt and I slipped my hands inside, running my hot little hands up the straining muscles of his back. I pressed my palms against his skin and it was as hot as mine. I slipped my hands between us and traced the muscles on his hard stomach and chiseled chest.

I managed to get his shirt worked up his body, and now it was bunched under his armpits, around the top of his chest. He leaned back above me, and reached for the hem and pulled it off over his head, dropping it on the floor.

Jacob wasn't shy about touching me, and he placed his hands on my stomach. His hot hands slipped under my shirts and then he was pushing them up. He'd let me touch him, and his shirt was off. I didn't stop him, and he raised my t-shirt and tank top, lifting them over the mounds of my breasts to expose my body to his hungry eyes.

His hands closed on my breasts, cupping my tits, and then his thumbs stroked over my nipples, sending waves of pleasure straight to my core and making me even more desperate for friction and stimulation. I so needed to be touched down there and I was aching to reach my hand into my pants to do it myself, but I knew that would send the wrong message.

I leaned up and pulled my shirts off over my head and tossed them on the floor, and then reclined back against the bed. Jacobs hands had moved to my waist while I sat up, and I reached for them, pulling him towards me.

"You are so beautiful…" Jacob said as he lowered his body over me to cover mine.

My bare chest was pressed against his and my hard little nipples were boring into his chest, sending all kinds of incredible sensations coursing through me. Jacob's lips found mine and his tongue slipped back into my mouth.

His hand closed on my naked tit, squeezing me and playing with my nipple, and I moaned into his mouth, it felt so good.

His other hand moved between our bodies. It was sliding down my stomach…

He reached between my legs, and his big powerful hand closed on the crotch of my jeans, cupping my sex and pressing his fingers into me. I needed to feel him touch me so much. I groaned into his mouth as squeezed and stroked me through the intervening layers of fabric.

I so needed to feel him touch me. I knew I wasn't going to tell him no. I might regret it later, but there was nothing I wouldn't let him do to me right this instant. I felt incredibly horny and turned on and I so wanted him.

He broke the kiss and nuzzled against my ear. "You like that…" he breathed against my ear as he kneaded my flesh and squeezed my sex, sending waves of pleasure through me.

"Yesss…" I moaned.

Jacob slipped lower kissing down the curve of my breast. His mouth closed on the peak of my breast. It was hot and wet and so incredibly better than just his hand. I could feel his teeth and his tongue rolled and teased my rock hard nipple.

His hand moved off my crotch and I felt bereft at the loss of contact and stimulation. I wanted to complain,, and tell him to put his hand back, but then I felt his fingers.

His hand was on the waist band of my jeans and he pulled the tab of fabric causing the snap to pop open. Then his fingers were on the tab of the zipper, pulling it down, and he was opening my fly.

Some rational part of my brain was telling me to tell him to stop. We were moving way too far, way too fast.

It was a very tiny part of my brain, and it was currently being drowned out by the part that was aching for him to move faster, the part that wanted his hands on my body, the part that had never felt so horny and needy like this before in my life.

I'd touched myself before, but it had never been like this.

My jeans were loose on my hips, and I felt his big hot hand slip down my back at the base of my spine. His fingers slipped under the waist band of my jeans and under the elastic band of my panties. I could feel his hand cupping my naked ass cheek as he worked my pants down over my ass. Simply pushing his hand into my underwear had pushed my pants lower.

I wanted to beg him to move faster. I raised my hips to make it easier for him to pull my pants down off my hips…

Sounds from outside penetrated my hormone fogged brain.

There was another motor stopping outside. I recognized it. It pulled into the driveway and stopped with the slight squeal of brakes I heard every night. A car door slammed. Any minute now I was going to hear boots walking up the wooden steps to the porch…

Jacob had my jeans and panties pulled down to the top of my thighs, I could feel his knuckles against the skin of pelvis below my waist. His hand was on my waist band tugging it lower…

Sudden realization flashed through me as my brain put the pieces together. I knew what was happening. The knowledge hit me like a bucket of ice water.

I pushed Jacob away. I wouldn't have been able to move him, but he was alert to my movements and was in tune with what I wanted and what I would allow, and he instantly backed off.

"You alright, Bells? I thought you wanted…"

"Shit! Charlie's home! Quick, grab your shit and get in the bathroom!" I hissed at him as I struggled to pull up my pants while trying to roll off the bed.

To his credit, Jacob didn't argue. He rolled off the bed, grabbed his clothes and disappeared down the hall.

The bathroom door closed just as the front door opened.

"Bella, I'm home," Charlie called from downstairs. I could hear him setting down his fishing things before opening the closet to put them away as I hastily fixed my clothes and got dressed. I didn't have time to change, but my panties were soaked and reeked of girl sex.

I looked in the mirror after I pulled my shirts back on. My face was flushed and my lips were a little swollen from kissing Jacob. My eyes were red from the pot, and my hair was a mess. The ponytail band was still in it, but it was worked very loose and hanging too low. I reached up and pulled it out.

I grabbed for my brush to fix my hair. It was about all the damage control I was going to manage. We had Visine to clear up my red eyes, but it was in the bathroom, and it would really be better if I went downstairs first.

"Bells?" Charlie yelled. "Did you order the Pizzas? Where's Jake? I saw his truck…"

"He's in the bathroom, Charlie," I yelled back so he'd know I was home and wouldn't freak out too much.

"What are you kids doing up there?" Charlie asked, sounding suspicious.

I didn't want to lie to him, but there was no way I was going to tell him we'd been up here making out. He was still my father, and he was standing next to his gun cabinet. It would totally blow my story wide open if I had to shield Jacob from Charlie's shotgun.

I heard the toilet flush and the sink run. The bathroom door opened, and Jacob was walking down the hallway.

"I just had to hit the head, Charlie. Bella was looking for some book she needed to show me."

Jacob stopped at my open door and tossed something onto my bed without pausing for more than a heartbeat, and then was walking down the steps.

"So, fish biting?" Jacob asked without missing a beat as he walked confidently downstairs to talk to Charlie.

"Yeah, but I decided to head in early after the damn snow started. It never fails, some yahoo will forget how to drive in it and cause an accident. The first snow of the season is always the worst, makes the roads slicker than later storms."

I looked at what Jacob had tossed onto my bed. It was the bottle of Visine. I grabbed it, and stood in front of the mirror, putting eye drops in my eyes. It helped the redness start to clear almost immediately.

I applied some lip balm, grabbed my novel off my night stand and stated downstairs. Jacob was much better at pulling the wool over parents eyes and hiding what was really going on. I wasn't used to dealing with suspicious parents and was out of practice. I just followed his lead and let him make up the stories.

I knew Charlie was suspicious, but he never said anything. I could tell he knew more was going on than we had admitted to from the way he looked at us. I guess the same rule applied as what he'd told Jacob about beer. Don't get caught and do it somewhere else. I was cool with that.

**Author's note:**

I'm sure this chapter is going to piss some people off. Sorry about that. I'm sure people are upset that she's doing more than batting her eyelashes and holding hands until she makes up her mind. I decided to go a little more real world with this story. Both guys know the score, and like Bella said, if they don't like it they don't have to hang around and ask her out.

She is not cheating. Cheating is sneaking around behind your boyfriend or girlfriends back and getting some on the side that they don't know about and hiding what you're doing from them to get away with something sneaky. Edward and Jacob are both fully aware of everything that's going on. She's being up front with both of them. She hasn't made any commitments to either of them yet. f they aren't willing to accept what's going on, they don't have to and they can stop seeing her. That would make her decision much easier, but neither guy seems willing to back down and let the other guy win.

Somebody asked a while back why this Bella puts so much stress on how much weight she doesn't gain. A, because it's important to her and a major health concern for her because of her accelerated metabolism. B, because it's a major plot point to show that she's not normal and is different from other people. C, because its a problem I wish I had, lol.

The next chapter of _The Darkest Part of the Night _should probably be ready next week. I'm at that point where I need to start alternate posting chapters of the stories as long as I'm not quite as many chapters ahead anymore.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come.


	17. Out

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 17 Out

There were announcements on the radio the next morning when my alarm went off and started blasting music to wake me up. The snow storm had gotten worse and raged late into the night. The temperature had dropped and there were ice warnings on the highway. So far they hadn't called a snow day yet, but we had a two hour late start and morning weight room and group meetings were canceled.

As I understood it, the roads in town weren't so bad, but a lot of kid's lived out of town, and the school buses needed extra time to run their routes and pick everyone up that rode the buses to school. It took time to clear all the roads, and the snow and ice made the roads slick and treacherous so the buses took more time to pick everyone up and get them to school safely.

I went to the window and looked outside. The world had turned into a winter wonderland overnight. Snow covered the ground and every object it could fall on. It was more than just a light dusting and snow probably lay an inch or two thick. All of the trees, bushes, power lines and anything not covered with snow had a light glaze of ice coating it that glistened in the morning sun.

It was a beautiful sight to behold, and I didn't mind looking at it. It was the going outside into it and driving in it that I dreaded. It was cold enough outside for water to freeze and fall out of the sky as ice. That was never a good thing in my book.

On the plus side, I seriously needed to talk to Edward and the Cullen's. I knew they were keeping secrets from me. They knew I was a fugitive and knew I was wanted for a variety of crimes. I had to figure out how much they knew and if I could trust them not to say anything.

Rose had implied that she wouldn't say or do anything as long as I didn't cause trouble for them, and Edward stayed safe. She didn't seem to mind me dating him otherwise. I was pretty sure Edward wasn't going to say anything. He liked me and wanted to date me.

I had to figure out if it was wise to stick around or if I should cut and run. Charlie had said he'd go with me if I had to run for it, but I didn't want to destroy his life in the process. I could simply disappear if I had to, and he wouldn't be able to follow me. I didn't want to do that to him though. I didn't want to do that to Edward or Jacob either.

My life was becoming more complicated as I involved other people. It had been relatively simple and uncomplicated when it was just me and Renee. All we had to worry about was surviving from one day to the next and staying one step ahead of the people chasing us. Now that she was gone and I had a chance to settle I was forming attachments and that made it harder to contemplate leaving.

I didn't want any of these people to get hurt because of me, but that would be the most likely cause of me having to run again. If I waited too long, somebody I cared about or loved would die and it would be my fault. That was what had triggered us having to run before, and I didn't want it to come down to that again.

I wanted to stay and find out how all of these relationship issues were going to play out, but I was being selfish because I knew eventually somebody would be hurt. I'd do my best to protect them, but even if I could protect them from physical harm, somebody was destined to wind up with a broken heart.

Beyond that, I had to know that Rose wasn't going to hold this over my head as a bargaining chip to force me to stop seeing Jacob. I wasn't going to be blackmailed into making a decision. She had to understand that I wouldn't accept that type of thing. If she was going to rat me out to run me off, I'd leave voluntarily so she didn't ruin Charlie's life too, but I wasn't going to let her control my life that way.

I got dressed and made breakfast while I waited to drive to school. I wanted to get there early so I could talk to Edward before school started, but I had plenty of time.

I wore my typical jeans and t-shirt, threw on my leather jacket and grabbed my messenger bag and purse, and I was good to go. Charlie had asked me if I wanted snow boots when we had gone shopping, but I'd declined the offer. I could filter out the water with my shield and keep my feet dry, so I didn't need snow boots.

What I hadn't counted on was the extra traction a good pair of boots would have offered. I made it down the steps ok, but I had to grip the railing as my feet slipped around precariously and I practically landed on my ass just getting out of the house. I didn't even try to walk on the walkway. I could see the layer of ice and I knew that even if I wasn't taking life and limb in hand and risking my neck, there was a serious chance I'd never make it to the car on my own two feet.

Crossing the grass wasn't so bad. The uneven surface and the yielding nature of the grass let my feet sink in and grip more easily. It was definitely easier than trying to walk on the walkway. I made it to the car and I did lose my footing and slip on the driveway, but I was able to grab the car and managed to catch myself before I fell.

I got into the car, but I didn't know if I was going to actually be able to drive to school. Simply getting into the car had been an ordeal, and I'd never driven in these conditions before. I figured I'd give it a try and see what the roads were like, but if I started sliding around, then I was driving back to the house and I'd just call in. There was no sense risking my life just to get to school.

I backed out of the driveway slowly and cautiously, but the car didn't slip and slide around like I had. I assumed the fact that it had four wheels and more surface area gave it better traction than my sneakers.

Now I could get to the school, but I had no idea how I was going to get from the car into the building. I figured I'd cross that bridge when I came to it, and drove to school. I took it easy and drove slowly and cautiously, but I was surprised how well the car handled the icy roads.

Other motorists weren't so lucky. I saw several cars slip and slide going around corners. One car couldn't stop, and slid into the middle of an intersection instead of stopping, but they got lucky and nobody was coming. There were a couple of fender benders where one car had slid into another, but so far I'd been lucky and nothing like that happened to me.

The parking lot at school was still filling up when I got there. I'd left plenty early because I wanted to give myself extra time to get there, and I wanted to be there when Edward and the other Cullen kids showed up.

It looked like Edward had just arrived minutes before I got there. Alice was parked next to Edward's silver Volvo, and they were all just getting out of the cars. I saw Edward look in my direction as I pulled up and he started walking to where I was parked.

The next open parking spot was several spaces behind where they'd parked, much closer to the entrance, and I cautiously got out of my car after I pulled into the space. The parking lot was slick, but it wasn't as bad as the walkway at the house.

Something shiny on the back wheel caught my eye, and walked to the back of the car and leaned down to look at the tire.

There were tire chains on the back wheels of my car.

Charlie must have gotten up early and put them on for me. He knew I wasn't going to be able to drive in this weather, and his concern for me was touching. He was taking care of me and looking out for me. It touched my heart that he cared so much and wanted to protect me. I realized I was his daughter, but I'd only been in his life for a short time and he was being so nice to me. I was going to have to say something to him and thank him. I needed to let him know how much I appreciated what he was doing for me.

Edward walked up beside me as I stood up. "Bella, we need to talk…" Edward was saying.

Suddenly the world went insane and I wasn't paying attention to his words.

Some people say the world seemed to slow down and move in slow motion when something terrible happens. I'd experienced terrible things before, and the world didn't slow down. I didn't know if it was the same for other people, but I just became hyper aware of all the details and saw everything with perfect clarity and diamond focus.

The sound of an engine revving out of control was the first thing that caught my attention and my head snapped up to look. The tires couldn't exactly squeal as they slipped on the slick road surface. Tyler was driving way too fast for the icy road conditions, and then he cut the corner too hard as tried to whip the van into the parking lot. I didn't know if he was just showing off, or if he'd been trying to avoid another obstacle in his path.

All I knew was the van was completely out of control. It was sliding sideways with the wheels turned in the opposite direction. The tires were locked up as he jammed the brakes, but he had no traction at all on the ice.

Even I knew the tires had to be spinning to get the car to steer, but he had completely broken traction with the road surface and all four tires were locked up.

All of that was academic now. The van was out of control and sliding fast across the parking lot. It wasn't a van anymore, it was three tons of steel and plastic death careening out of control to inflict random mayhem on some hapless soul.

It was speeding right at us.

It was going to hit me and Edward, and there was nowhere to go. It was too late to move. There was nowhere to duck out of the way. It was going to mash us against the back of the Monte Carlo.

There were panicked screams. Everyone in the parking lot knew we were going to die.

"Alice!" Rose screamed.

Alice looked stricken. "Too late!" She screamed back.

I didn't have time to consider what Rose wanted Alice to do about this that would have made any kind of difference. I was already acting when Rose screamed.

I threw my arms around Edward and popped my shield, throwing a force bubble around us. I tried to brace as I locked my hands around his body with all of my strength, but everything was happening so fast.

Suddenly the van impacted with my force bubble with a huge sound of twisting steel and shattering glass and slammed us sideways. It didn't crush us and I kept hold of Edward so he wouldn't hit the inside of the shield. The force bubble careened off the back fender of the Monte Carlo as the van shoved us between my car and a tan Corolla parked next to it.

Edward flinched from the van coming at us and tried to duck out of the way. His arms locked around my waist and he pulled me down with him as he tried to dive between the cars. My shield cushioned our impact as we hit the ground.

I made sure the van was stopped before I dropped the force bubble. All of the windows in the van had shattered on impact, and the side of the van was caved in with a perfectly hemispherical indentation where it had hit my shield. The back quarter panel of the Monte Carlo was likewise dented in with a perfectly smooth round dent the shape of my shield, as was the side of the Corolla.

"Edward, are you alright?" I yelled at him, but he was staring at me.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Bella. We would have been crushed if you hadn't acted so quickly…"

"Me… You saved us… You pulled us between the cars at the last minute…" I lied badly, trying to conceal the truth, but I knew it was a wasted effort. He'd seen what happened, and even if he didn't have an explanation, it was obvious I'd done something to stop the van.

People were screaming and I could hear people running.

"I hope Tyler is ok. He hit pretty hard," I commented, worried about him, despite the fact that he'd almost killed us.

"He's alive, but he's unconscious," Edward said. I didn't see how he could know that. I couldn't even see Tyler from where we were lying.

"How can you possibly know that?" I asked.

Edward shrugged. "How come we're lying in the snow and ice and our clothes aren't wet and I can't feel the cold?"

I realized even though I'd dropped the force bubble I was still shielding us from the wet ground. It was that automatic for me.

I shrugged, resigned to the fact that my secret was blown. "Would you rather be cold and wet?" I asked.

"No, but we may have to for damage control to cover this up. I'll do what I can," He said.

I had no idea what he was talking about, and then Tyler's van jerked sideways as it was rudely shoved away from the back of my car. It moved effortlessly, like it weighed nothing at all, and then I saw Emmett gripping the bumper, lifting the end of the van as he pushed it sideways away from us all by himself. He didn't even really strain, he moved it aside like it was an annoyance that it was in his way.

"Edward!" Emmett's anguished cry tore at me. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and I was sure he expected to find both of crushed and smeared to a pulp.

"Edward? You're alive!" Emmett exclaimed.

Suddenly Alice and Jasper appeared out of thin air with a sound like fabric ripping, standing in the open space Emmett had created by moving the van out of the way.

"I told you she wouldn't just let him die!" Alice yelled.

"We have to get this under control," Edward said, taking control of the situation. "Jasper, fix the dents in the cars so they look like a wreck. I'll handle crowd control. Emmett, you waited for the coach to get here and all of you pushed the van back together."

Emmett nodded as he stepped back, blocking the path around the van with his sheer bulk. I realized his skin had a metallic sheen now although it was still skin colored, and then the metallic appearance disappeared as he shook himself and relaxed.

"Bella, you hit your head when we fell." Edward continued. "They've already called the paramedics, and they're going to need someone to examine."

Jasper was concentrating on the side of Tyler's van. He didn't touch it, but the perfect hemispherical dent crinkled and wrinkled into disfigured metal shapes. He turned to my car and the round surface of the dent re-inflated to almost its original shape with just some minor paint damage, although the tail light was still broken. The back of the Corolla wrinkled like the side of Tyler's van and the bumper bent like it had taken the brunt of the impact.

"Why did I hit my head?" I complained. "You pulled us down."

"I need to be able to see what's going on to work damage control on the fly," Edward replied.

I still didn't know what he meant, but I didn't have time to argue. People started crowding in to check on us, and I could hear sirens down the block, rapidly getting closer.

Coach Clapp and Mr. Greene, the principal showed up.

"You two stay down and don't move," Coach Clapp yelled at us.

"Are you hurt?" Mr. Greene asked.

"I'm fine," Edward replied. "Bella hit her head when we dived out of the way."

"Ok. Don't move. The paramedics will be here in a minute. We'll get her checked out." The principal said.

"I don't need to be checked out!" I hissed at Edward.

"Shhh." Edward shushed me. "Be good, and just ride the ambulance to the hospital. Carlisle will give you a clean bill of health."

"Fine, but I'm not letting them stick me with any needles."

The ambulance arrived followed by a fire truck and the paramedics got out and came over to examine me. They strapped one of those plastic, foam and Velcro collars around my neck, and then strapped me to a gurney to load me into the back of the ambulance.

It was completely unnecessary, and I could see Edward smirking at me out of the corner of my eye while they worked on me. He was going to pay for that. He was walking around the accident scene and nobody was trying to strap a collar around his neck. They were still working to get Tyler out of the van, so the Paramedics concentrated on me, poking and prodding and testing, while the firemen worked on opening the driver door of the van. They wanted to start an IV, but I wouldn't let the needle penetrate my shield, and they finally gave up.

The paramedics were loading me into the back of the ambulance when Charlie showed up. He was frantic and rushed over to come check on me. I had an Idea what was going on now, and I threw a shield around Charlie as soon as he showed up on the scene. I saw Edward look over at me with a mildly exasperated look on his face, but he just turned away and went back to work.

"Bella!" Charlie exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Charlie! Would you tell them to get me off of this damn gurney!"

"She hit her head pretty hard, Chief," One of the paramedics said. "She'll probably need some x-rays when we get her to the hospital."

"Nobody's going to x-ray anything!" I complained, but the paramedics and firemen ignored me like I hadn't even spoken.

Edward walked over and patted my hand. "Be good. We'll talk at the hospital."

"Fine, I'll play along, but no needles and no x-rays."

"Edward? Charlie asked. "What's going on?"

"Tyler's van went out of control on the ice. Bella stopped it from crushing us. We'll talk later."

"So you know about…" Charlie nodded toward me.

"Yes," Edward said. "Don't worry. Everyone is buying the official story," and then he stepped away.

Charlie nodded. "Ok… I guess we'll talk at the hospital. I need to check on Tyler and find out what the official story is." He left me to go do his job.

I'd heard the story most of the 'eye witnesses' were telling.

Edward came over to talk to me. The van went out of control on the ice. Edward pulled me out of the way at the last second as we dove between the cars. I hit my head on the pavement, but we dodged getting mashed by the van. Coach Clapp and Mr. Greene showed up and a bunch of jocks from the wrestling team helped them shift Tyler's van enough so they could get to us.

Most of the people here were convinced I was unconscious when the paramedics got to me. More than half of them were convinced I was still unconscious. Some of them thought I'd been seriously injured.

Tyler was pretty banged up, bloody and still bleeding when the firemen finally cut the door open and got him out of the van. They bandaged him up, loaded him onto a gurney and put him in the back of the ambulance beside me. Edward climbed into the front seat and we left for the hospital with a police escort.

Edward disappeared into the hospital once we got there. They wheeled me and Tyler into the emergency room, but everyone was focusing on him. That was alright with me because I wasn't hurt. I ditched the collar once they unloaded us and wheeled me into a curtained off exam area in the emergency room. I took off the collar and pitched it under the table as soon as they left me alone.

I'd been waiting more than long enough for me, and I wanted to find Edward to get some answers. I was off the table and ready to start looking for him when a nurse showed up with a wheel chair.

"You shouldn't be up and walking around," she said accusingly.

"There's nothing wrong with me," I said.

"Well, we'll just check that out to make sure. Now have a seat in this wheel chair. I need to take you down to x-ray to have your head examined."

"I should have my head examined for ever playing along with Edward. I'm not getting any x-rays taken. I haven't even seen a doctor yet. You send a doctor down here, or take me to see Edward and his father or I'm leaving."

"Dr. Cullen ordered your x-ray series while he's examining the Crowley boy. He wanted the films back to examine when he was done with him. This is just going to make your stay longer."

"No x-rays. Now run along and tell Edward I'm leaving if he isn't here in the next five minutes."

Charlie showed up instead.

"Bella, the nurse came and found me and said you're being difficult. She said the doctor ordered some tests and you refused to go with her. Maybe you should just let them check you out to make sure you're ok…"

"I'm fine. I don't even want to be here. I can't be here…"

"I don't like hospitals much either, but they're a necessary evil…"

"No, I can't be here, Charlie. Just checking me in and filing an accident report will send up all kinds of red flags to the wrong agencies. This is the sort of thing they watch for. They want to take x-rays, but they can't. The film will just fog if I drop my shield and I'll leave a Bella shaped silhouette if I don't. I can't be x-rayed. The x-rays won't penetrate my shield, and my natural background radiation is stronger than the source they use for the test. That'll throw up more red flags when the tests don't work.

"You need to destroy my file before it hits the computer database and get me out of here now. Then we hope and pray this incident doesn't tip off the wrong people, or we're going to have to run for it."

"OH…! I never thought of that… Let me go see what I can do… Wait here for the doctor. Maybe we can just get him to look you over and let you go without filing a report…"

Charlie walked away, and I tried to relax and let him handle this. Official paperwork was his thing, so hopefully he could prevent me from going into the database.

Then my phone rang in my purse. Alice had picked it up at the accident scene and gave it back to me in the ambulance so I'd have my ID and medical information. It shouldn't have been possible for the phone to ring. I'd turned it off when we got to the hospital.

I looked at the caller ID. It figured. I opened the phone and held it to my ear. I didn't even bother to press the button to accept the call.

"How…"

"_Oh please, give me a little credit, Bella,_" Rose said out of the phone. "_Don't worry about your file. It'll never hit the database. I've already expunged or altered anything that's already been entered about you. You won't throw up any red flags. You're still as safe here as you were before._"

"Ok… Thank you. Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you didn't trust me."

"_I don't, particularly after what almost happened in your bedroom with the Quileute boy, yesterday, but__ you did save Edward's life this morning. Besides, if the divisions come looking for you, they'll likely find all of us, so working damage control for you keeps all of us safe too._"

"How long have you known?"

"_About you in particular? Almost since you were born. I was a little apprehensive when I learned you were coming here. I knew you were coming to Forks as soon as Charlie started creating the fake documents to cover up your identity. I helped with that to make your cover more effective, but he doesn't know that._"

"How old are you, Rose?"

"_Old enough to know better. I altered your chart and canceled the tests. Put you phone away, Edward and Carlisle are coming to talk to you._"

"How…" but the call had already clicked off and ended. I closed my phone and put it away in my purse.

I had only met Edward's foster father, Carlisle Cullen, briefly to be introduced the first time I went to their house and had only seen him a couple of times. Charlie knew Carlisle and Esme, but he'd met them before he knew about me and what we could do.

A very handsome blond man wearing a white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck pulled the curtain aside and stepped into the exam cubicle. He wore dress slacks and a button down shirt. under the coat. He was about six feet tall with a well-toned medium frame and appeared to be in his mid-thirties. If Edward was the physical incarnation of the Greek god Adonis, this man had to be Zeus's younger better-looking brother. He was handsomer than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his blue eyes. I recognized him as Edward's father.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan," Dr. Cullen said. "My nurse tells me you're being difficult. A head injury is nothing to fool around with. I think you should let us check it out and make sure everything is alright."

"I don't have a head injury. I never even hit my head on the ground. Has Edward explained what really happened yet, or are you out of the loop?" Either he knew what was really going on, or I had a feeling Edward would make it ok, so I didn't try to hide anything.

I looked at Edward significantly.

"Fine, you can drop the charade Carlisle. Bella knows. She wasn't hurt, she saved my life."

"Oh… that's different then. I suppose I owe you a debt of gratitude, Ms. Swan. You should have said something sooner, Edward."

"You were busy with Tyler and I didn't want to disturb you."

"Alright… I'm curious then. Why did you refuse the x-rays, Ms. Swan?"

"Please, call me Bella."

"Alright, Bella then, but you have to call me Carlisle."

"Well, apart from the fact that there's nothing wrong with me, I can't be x-rayed. They don't work on me."

"Fascinating," Carlisle said. "I'd really like to discuss this with you in more detail, but I don't have time right now. I have to get back to Mr. Crowley."

"How is Tyler?" I asked. I felt kind of responsible for what had happened to him, even though I knew I shouldn't. My force bubble hadn't done any more damage than hitting the cars would have done. My intervention had simply kept us from being killed in the process of injuring himself.

"He should make a full recovery. There were no broken bones, but he's going to have some stitches and he has a concussion. I think we're going to keep him overnight for observation"

"Alright, so can I get out of here now?"

Carlisle chuckled. "Fine, I'll give you a note so you can take the rest of the day off…"

"Does he get to go back to school," I asked, nodding at Edward.

"I have a wrestling meet tonight, Bella. If I don't return to school, then I won't be able to wrestle tonight."

"If he's going back to school, then I'm going back to school too."

Carlisle chuckled again. "You're a stubborn one aren't you? Fine, I'll sign your release. Do you have a ride back to school?"

"I'll drive them, but most of the school is here, out in the waiting room," Charlie said as he stepped through the curtain. "We have a lot to discuss, Dr. Cullen," he continued.

I groaned at the thought of all those people out there. I hated being the center of attention. I was hoping to avoid them, but I waited while Carlisle and Charlie spoke.

Carlisle nodded. "Everyone is going to be gone tonight at the wrestling meet. Can you come over for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Sure, that's fine," Charlie said.

"Good. You can go with your father, Bella. I'll sign your paperwork, and you can pick it up at the nurses' station," Carlisle said. He nodded to us, and then hurried away to go check on Tyler.

"Is there a way out of here so we can avoid the crowd?" I asked.

"We can go out the side entrance, " Edward said. "The nurse will give them an update that we're ok. Most of them will stay to hear about Tyler."

Charlie nodded and went to go get my paperwork and Edward and I went out into the hall to wait for him.

I turned to Edward. "You're a pusher. You made all those people in the parking lot at school believe the official story about the accident instead of what really happened."

"Would you prefer that they all remembered you stopping the van before it crushed us, Emmett moving the van away all by himself, Alice and Jasper appearing out of nowhere to lend assistance, Jasper altering the dents in the cars so they matched what I made them remember? We'd have the divisions breathing down our necks in a heartbeat, and then we'd all be running."

"You would have made Charlie believe the official story too if I hadn't stopped you. I felt you probing at his mind. You don't trust people, do you? Not all of them would have betrayed us…"

Edward shrugged. "His mind isn't as open to me as everyone else. He has some latent shielding ability, but nowhere near as strong or developed as yours. I can get in, but it's more difficult."

"Really? Still, you would have made him believe the official version. He knows everything, so don't mess with his head, ok?"

"Alright. I don't see you going around showing people what you can do, whether you trust them or not. My ability, on the other hand has left me… I suppose you could say somewhat jaded. Let's just say it's not in my nature to trust people. I see too much of human nature to trust blindly or openly."

I nodded. "I get that. My mom was a first generation pusher. She had trust issues most of her life. I can imagine it must be more difficult for you, growing up with your ability."

"That's a refreshing attitude…" I felt the mental probes intensify, trying to find a way in again as they tested my shield, looking for a way in past my defenses.

"That isn't going to work. You aren't going to be able to read me or push me. I've had seventeen years of practice keeping people out of my head. My basic shield is up twenty-four seven, whether I'm sleeping or unconscious."

"Can you lower it at all, or is it just always on?"

"Let's just say I have trust issues of my own and nobody's getting into my head."

"Your shield has never come down? Has anybody ever gotten through it? Not even your own mother?"

"God, would you want your mother reading your thoughts in your head?"

"If it meant I could be with her again, then she could gladly read every thought in my mind and put any there she cared to leave. She's been gone so very long… I hardly remember her."

"I'm sorry… Sometimes I forget I'm not the only one who's lost somebody…"

"It's been a very long time. I'm ok with it now."

"Is it even possible to be 'ok' with it? Those bastards took My dad from us two years ago, an my heart still aches for him. It doesn't feel any better."

"You never truly stop feeling the loss, but it becomes easier to deal with in time. Or maybe I was just too young, I lost my parents when I was five, so I've had some time to come to terms with it. Maybe it's just me."

"No, it's not just you. I understand, it is easier to deal with in time. I just don't want it to be easier to deal with. I don't want to come to terms with it and come to accept it. They took people from me. They murdered people who were important to me. People who were a part of my life, people who should still be with me so I could watch them grow old, People who should have been grandparents if I ever had kids.

"They took them from me, and I can't be ok with that. I should be doing something about that, but I know that's not what Renee would want. She said the best way to honor Phil was to go on living and find a way back to normal to get on with our lives. She wouldn't let me even consider revenge. I know she wouldn't want me to try and avenge her either. She'd want me to blend in and live my life."

"That's what we do every day, Bella. We're all safer because we work together to keep each other safe. You can be a part of that, and if you want a little payback while honoring your parents memory, I might be able to help with that too."

"What do you mean by payback?" I asked.

"Let's not discuss that now. We can talk about it after you and Charlie come over for dinner tomorrow night."

"Fine."

"So, have you considered coming to the wrestling tournament tonight?"

"Alice tried to talk me into it, but I really don't want to sit in a car for three hours on a road trip. Particularly with the roads the way they are…"

"Alice doesn't drive to the meets, Bella. You won't be in the car for three hours unless you go cruising or are much better friends than I know about."

"Oh… That's right." I hadn't considered that. Now all of Rose's comments made sense. It wouldn't take three hours to get to the wrestling meet.

Edward and I stopped talking when Charlie came over to find us.

"You really did a number on those cars, Bella. Are you sure you're all right?" Charlie asked when we were in the police cruiser driving back to school.

"It's not my fault. They would have been wrecked regardless. I just stopped us from getting killed too."

"I'm not blaming you. I'm just glad you're safe. I can get the car fixed, although the Monte was nowhere near as bad as the other two. It's drivable once we replace the tail light. Tyler's van and that Corolla are both probably both totaled. I'll have the car towed to the body shop and get an estimate for the insurance."

"Umm… I need to get my things out of it before you have it towed, Charlie." My pistol was still clipped under the driver seat. It wouldn't be good if they found that at the body shop.

"Ok… Let me know when I can have it towed." Charlie said. I knew he knew what I meant.

"Alice already got your things out of the car, Bella," Edward said from the back of the cruiser. "Rose will fix the damage, and it'll be like brand new."

"Umm… She might not have gotten all of my things…"

"She was very thorough. She made sure she got everything. She checked under the seat. Your possessions are at the house. You can pick them up before you go to the wrestling meet tonight if you like."

It was a little disturbing that Alice had searched my car because I knew what she'd find. I guess it wasn't that big a deal, because Rose had known about it. It made sense Alice would know too. Charlie didn't react because I shrugged it off and didn't react. We ignored it and moved on.

"You're going to the wrestling meet tonight, Bella?" Charlie asked without missing a beat. "That's all the way in Bainbridge."

"I wasn't planning to go, but I guess I'm going with Alice and Rose to watch Edward wrestle. That's ok, right?"

"Sure…" Charlie said. "It's an awful long drive though. It's about three hours each way. It's on Bainbridge Island, just this side of Puget Sound from Seattle."

"It'll be fun…" I lied. There was no way I wanted to sit in a car that long for just a wrestling meet, but if I wasn't driving, I guess it could be fun.

"Fine, I'll let them know you're leaving early when I sign you in. You should have just taken the note from Dr. Cullen. It'll practically be time for you to leave by the time you get to school."

Charlie pulled into the school and the emergency vehicles were gone. Tyler's van and the Corolla had been towed away. My car was gone too, and the school had returned to a semblance of normalcy.

"Where's my car?" I asked.

"Rose had it towed to the house. I told you she'd fix it for you."

I just nodded as we parked in front of the school. Charlie went into the office with us and showed my paperwork to Mrs. Cope and got me signed in.

She was overjoyed to see I was still alive and got emotional to see me up and walking around.

Charlie let her know it was ok for me to leave early with Alice. Edward informed her we'd be leaving after biology to go to the wrestling meet, and she just nodded and marked my paperwork.

We stepped out of the office once Mrs. Cope had all the paperwork she needed.

"Ok, Charlie, well, I guess this is goodbye... Don't wait up, ok? I'm not going to be back until real late tonight..." If we were really driving, I wouldn't be home until like one or two in the morning. Charlie wouldn't get any sleep if he waited up for me to come home.

He totally surprised me then. "Look, Bella, Why don't you just spend the night at the Cullen's and have a sleepover with Alice if you're going to the wrestling meet. I know you're not going to get home until one or two in the morning. I don't want you driving any more than you have to, and I trust Carlisle and Esme to look out for you."

"Umm... ok... I'm sure Alice would love that..." I knew Edward would love that too.

"Ok, I'll give Esme a call and make sure it's ok, but I'm pretty sure she'll say yes. I'll see you tomorrow after school, ok?"

"Ok... Thanks, Charlie... Bye."

I hugged him goodbye and he turned to go. I glanced over at Edward, wondering if he had something to do with this. I didn't see how, I'd had Charlie's mind shielded since he'd showed up at the school for the accident.

Charlie left to go back to the parking lot, and Edward walked me to class. It was already fourth period and my Spanish class was half over. I just had lunch and Biology, but I was skipping Gym Class today to leave early.

"You didn't have anything to do with Charlie's decision to let me sleep over, did you?" I asked as we walked to class.

"No," Edward said. "I may have considered it, but you've had his mind blocked since he showed up at school this morning. That's really kind of amazing by the way, but no, your father came up with this all on his own."

"Ok…"

"Will you sit with us at lunch today, Bella?"

"Sure…" I said. I usually spent lunch with Edward, but he meant something different today, and then we were at my door.

Edward leaned in and pecked me lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you after class."

I nodded and slipped into the classroom. Everyone was shocked to see me, but I just walked to the teacher and gave her my note.

The classroom seemed strangely empty, and I realized Angela and Jessica were gone. They were probably still up at the hospital waiting for word to see if I was alright, and I felt bad about sneaking out the side door with Edward to avoid the crowd. I knew Edward would make it alright, but they'd cared about me enough to rush to the hospital to wait on word about me, and I'd snuck away instead of at least letting people see that I was alive and whole and ok.

At least it wasn't a total waste of their time. Tyler was really hurt, and maybe I was deluding myself, and everyone was at the hospital for him. Regardless, I knew some of them had been there for me too, and I should have spoken to them, but I couldn't go back and change it now.

I didn't have my messenger bag or any of my class materials. Alice hadn't given it to me and I assumed it was still with my car or Alice was holding it for me. I just sat through class and waited for lunch.

Edward was waiting for me when I came out of the classroom. His hair was slightly damp, and he must have just gotten out of the shower. He had gym fourth period, but he had to have gotten out early to be showered and dressed and waiting for me. I could see how he managed that now.

Edward took my hand and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Ready for lunch?" He asked.

My stomach growled loudly in response, and Edward chuckled.

"Ok... Maybe I'm kind of hungry..." I replied.

Normally we went to the library during lunch to work on my trig homework, but I'd missed class today and I was hungry. I didn't want to wait until after school to go out with Alice for a snack. Today we walked into the cafeteria and got in line. I got a tray and started piling food on it.

"You're going to eat all of that?" Edward asked. I have a tray of my own, Bella..."

I knew my cheeks colored as the blush spread. "My metabolism runs a little hot. I need to eat to keep my energy levels up. That stunt in the parking lot this morning made me hungry."

He was used to seeing Alice on a diet and Rose never ate. It probably surprised him that I had a healthy appetite. He'd seen me eat on Saturday, so it shouldn't have been too much of a shock. Edward just nodded and followed me through the line.

He led me over to the table with his family after we paid for our food. I was still a little apprehensive about sitting with them at school, but we'd all gone out on Saturday, and we all pretty much knew about each other now. There were still a lot of details to figure out, but Edward couldn't make me forget what I'd seen, so there was no point hiding anything from each other anymore.

Jasper still seemed guarded around me, and Rose was Rose, but Emmett seemed truly glad to have me join them, and Alice was practically bouncing in her seat. I knew Edward was happy from the smile on his face, and he wouldn't have asked me to sit with them if he didn't want me here.

"This is so cool," Emmett said. "So it's alright to talk openly to you now, right? We don't have to hide anything anymore?"

"She still wouldn't know anything if you hadn't gone and picked up the damn van," Rose said. "I told you to wait..."

"I thought Edward was hurt. We still might have been able to save him if we got him to Carlisle and Esme quick enough, even if the van had hit him. I wasn't going to just stand there and do nothing."

Rose sighed. "I know, that's what I love about you. You might be impetuous and act rashly at times, but you care about other people and you always do whatever you can to help. I don't want to change that, but sometimes you have to think before you simply act, Emmett."

"I thought Edward and Bella were hurt. Every second counts when something like that happens."

"I know, but I knew they'd be ok. I felt her shield come on, and I knew they weren't going to get killed."

"I didn't know..." Emmett said.

"Wait, you can feel when I pop my shield like that?" I asked. That was a significant piece of information.

Rose shrugged. "Your electromagnetic signatures disappeared off the grid, so I knew your shield came on. I assumed you were protecting Edward too, because he disappeared the same instant as you."

"Oh. Ok. So you can detect more of the electromagnetic spectrum than just visible light?" I asked.

"I told you we'd sit down and have a talk when I'm ready." Rose said. "This isn't that talk."

"Fine..."

"Bella is going to go to the wrestling meet tonight," Edward said to change the topic. "You'll bring her, Alice?" Edward asked.

"Sure, no problem," Alice said. "We can go have dinner, and then meet all of you there."

"Charlie also mentioned it was ok for Bella to sleep over. He's assuming she won't be home until very late because it's a three hour drive."

Alice squealed. "We'll have so much fun..." I dreaded what she had in mind for fun. The occasional makeover was fine, but I wasn't into makeup and fashion twenty-four seven the way she was.

"I've notified Esme. She'll have the guest room made up." Rose said.

That answered a major question I'd had. I knew all of their sleeping arrangements. I was ok going out with Edward, and maybe making out with him, but I wasn't ready to sleep with him.

I'd seen the guest room at their house. It was between Alice's bedroom suite and Edward's room. Actually, it shared the same bathroom with Edward's bedroom.

I wasn't opposed to him visiting for a goodnight kiss, but I'd have to set limits so he understood when to stop and what was allowed.

I didn't say anything for now. This was something we'd have to discuss privately. I dug in and ate my lunch while we continued our conversation.

Angela, Jessica and Sara showed up about halfway through lunch. They walked in with Mike, Ben, Conner and Dean. Of course they didn't look at our table, but I still felt bad about not talking to them in the hospital.

I got up from the table. "I'm going to go say hi to Angela and Sara for a minute..." I said.

Edward nodded. "Just stick to the official story, and everything should be fine. I'll see you in Biology Class."

I wasn't planning on being gone that long, but I nodded and walked over to their table.

Angela and Jessica looked up when I walked over.

"There you are!" Jessica exclaimed as I stepped up to the table and they scooted over to make room for me. "Where have you been? We looked everywhere!"

"Umm… I hate crowds and being the center of attention. Charlie took us out the side entrance when they released me. I'm fine, but thank you for caring enough to come to the hospital."

"We were so worried for you," Angela said. "We all thought you'd been killed or hurt really bad."

"You're lucky to be alive…!" Jessica chimed in. "How did you not get killed? There was nowhere to go!"

I shrugged. "It all happened so fast. Edward pulled me out of the way, and then we were on the ground between the cars..."

Angela nodded, and Jessica didn't seem to completely believe me, but she couldn't refute the fact that I was alive and talking to her.

Everyone else got into the act, telling me they were glad I wasn't hurt and asking about what happened. I stuck to the story. And they all seemed to feel better that they'd seen me and knew I wasn't hurt. I asked about Tyler, and they relayed what Dr. Cullen had already told us.

I asked about details of the accident I hadn't seen, and apparently Tyler had swerved to avoid another car that had lost control in the street. He'd avoided being hit by them, only to lose control of the van and almost hit us.

Lunch was almost over when I saw Alice get up from the table and dance over to the trash to dump her tray. I was wondering what she was up to, but she glanced over at me, and nodded her head like she wanted me to follow her.

"I'll see you guys in class," I said. "I'm going to go see what Alice wants."

Angela and Jessica and the other kids all wished me well for surviving my accident and said they'd see me in class. I hurried out of the cafeteria after Alice.

I had the strangest sense of deja vu as I followed her out of the building. I'd done the same thing on the first day of school and she'd simply vanished.

This time she was waiting for me around the corner and I skidded to a stop so I wouldn't run her over.

"There you are, we have to hurry..." She said, sounding a little exasperated.

Alice reached out to me and took my hand as I replied. "I didn't know we were…"

Suddenly there was a gut wrenching twist and a sound like fabric ripping as reality shifted. Gravity ceased to exist and my sense of balance spun. Light, dark, cold, hot, the feel of the ground beneath my feet, the air pressure around me, the scent of concrete and paint in the rain all ceased to exist in a flash of pure non-existence.

_Too be continued..._

**Author's note:**

The next chapter of _The Darkest Part of the Night _should probably be ready next week. I'm at that point where I need to start alternate posting chapters of the stories as long as I'm not quite as many chapters ahead anymore.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come.


	18. Too Much Information

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 18Too Much Information

"_There you are, we have to hurry..." She said, sounding a little exasperated._

_Alice reached out to me and took my hand as I replied. "I didn't know we were…" _

_Suddenly there was a gut wrenching twist and a sound like fabric ripping as reality shifted. Gravity ceased to exist and my sense of balance spun. Light, dark, cold, hot, the feel of the ground beneath my feet, the air pressure around me, the scent of concrete and paint in the rain all ceased to exist in a flash of pure non-existence._

"…in a hurry…"

I was stumbling forward on a lawn as I caught my balance when reality suddenly existed again. My shield flashed into existence on pure reflex as I crouched and tried to figure out what had happened. I remembered hearing a sound like fabric ripping. I could smell ozone, and there was what appeared to be a noticeable fracture in the air as though reality had ruptured and was knitting itself back together again.

Alice took a step away from me, and then stopped cold as she walked into my force shield. "Ow," she said as she rubbed her head where she'd hit it on the force shield. "Do you mind? We're in a hurry. Could you at least make that visible so people don't hit their heads on it?"

"Oh you think?" I said as I shifted the diffraction gradient of the shield to make it stand out from the air. "Where the hell are we, Alice? You could have warned me."

"We're home, and if I'd warned you, you would have popped your shield and I wouldn't have been able to jump us here. Now drop it so we can go inside. I have your messenger bag with your things for Biology so you can turn in your homework. I suppose you'll be wanting your gun back too, right?"

"Umm... Ok. Yes please..."

Alice nodded and I started to walk towards the porch of the big white house in front of us and I realized we were at the Cullens house. I didn't drop my shield, but it moved with me as I walked. Alice was still trapped inside with me, but I could split her off into a separate bubble as fast as I could think about it if I had to.

"So you're a jumper," I said. "I know Edward's a pusher. Emmett's gotta be a brick. Jasper's a mover, right? What exactly does Rose do?"

"Jasper's a mover, but he does more than just that, most of us do. I can't tell you about Rose. She'd be pissed off if I told her secrets, and she can probably still hear us right now. Can we go in the house, Bella? We have to be back soon."

"Fine, but I don't think she can hear me if my shield is up like this." I dropped the shield around us.

Alice shrugged. "Maybe not directly, but if people around you can hear you, she can hear you whether you're shielded or not," she said as we walked up the stairs and went into the house.

"Esme, I'm home," Alice yelled as we walked inside.

"I put away those things you dropped off, Alice…" Esme said as she came walking in from the next room, and then stopped, startled when she saw me. "Oh…! I wasn't expecting you to bring company with you… So Bella knows now?" She asked.

"Hi, Esme," I said a little sheepishly.

For the barest split second, she looked at me like I was a poisonous snake that was going to strike and bite her, but she quickly schooled her expression and smiled at me. She reached for me and pulled me into a hug and held me. "Please forgive me. I'm so glad you're safe Bella! Thank you for saving Edward."

It was a shock to see Esme react like that. They knew my history, and it scared them. Maybe they even believed the lies. No wonder they were all scared of me. Rosalie and Jasper's hostility made sense now. They knew I was dangerous, and they knew the Shop was hunting me. They were all in danger because I had moved here. I tried to let it go as I stepped away.

None of them trusted me. I accepted that. It was my lot in life.

Well, maybe that was an overstatement of the facts. Alice seemed to trust me for some inexplicable reason. Edward wanted to trust me because he liked me, and Emmett was just the trusting sort of guy. The others all seemed to hold reservations, even Esme.

"So you were involved in that trouble down in Phoenix, weren't you?" She acted like she wanted to help, but I knew she held reservations about whether or not to believe the stories.

I just nodded. She could believe what she wanted to believe. It didn't matter if I kept telling people it was all lies.

"Where are Bella's things, Esme?" Alice asked to change the subject.

"I put them in your room…"

Alice reached for my hand, and reality twisted again.

"Mary Alice Brandon! Not in the house! How many times do I have to tell you?!" I heard Esme yelling from what sounded like downstairs.

The room seemed to expand as we popped into existence through the fracture in reality. I heard the floor creak and a dusting of plaster ghosted down from the ceiling as the walls flexed. Now I knew why there were cracks in the walls and ceiling that looked like they'd been patched and painted over time and again.

We were standing in Alice's bedroom.

"Sorry, Esme, we're in a hurry…" Alice yelled at the open doorway.

She picked up my bag off her bed and handing it to me. "Make sure everything's there, and then we have to get outside so we can jump back to school."

I took my bag from her and looked inside. My books, notebooks and homework were all in the bag. My pistol in the holster was stuffed in on top of everything else. I took it out and checked it, and then put it back in my purse.

"Thanks for taking care of this for me. How come you trust me, but apparently nobody else does? How did you know I was even moving here? You all seem to know a lot about me…"

"Rose does computers and does most of our information gathering and investigation. Sometimes I see things..."

"See things? See things how, with a crystal ball?"

"Most of the time it's just a flash of insight or a flicker of something that's going to happen before it does. Most of the time it's a little like déjà vu only I see things before they happen, but sometime I get more detailed visions. That's rare and I can't control them, but what I see usually happens. I saw you coming."

"So you're a watcher too?"

"No, not really, unless I really suck at being a watcher, mostly I'm just a jumper. I guess they're related and sometimes I just see things."

"Ok… So am I safe here?"

She shrugged, "As safe as any of us, you just need to learn how to hide better. You don't need to carry a gun to be safe, Bella."

"The people chasing me have a serious shadow working for them. Usually my first clue that they've caught up to me is my powers shutting down so I can't use them. I've had to use a gun more than once to get away. I'd be dead if I didn't have it and know how to use it."

"Ok... I don't like guns, but I hadn't considered that..."

"None of you trust me, do you? I get it. I'll stay out of your way..."

"That won't make any of us any safer, Bella. If they come for you, they'll find us too. We're safer because we all work together. We cover for each other's weaknesses and we're all stronger working together. You need us, and we need you."

"I'm a danger magnet, Alice. They want me dead. They're going to find me…"

"They've found us before. They'll find us again. We're all survivors, or we'd all be dead."

"I know… I just don't want to kill anymore of them…"

"Shit happens. I've dropped my share of agents in the deep end of the ocean. I doubt any of them are still treading water. It sounds to me like they got what they asked for. I just have one question."

"Umm… Ok…"

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Word on the street is you and your mom murdered your step dad for the insurance money, and then ran when it went south and you botched the job. The cops showed up and you had to fight your way out to escape.

"Now they're saying you gave up your mom to the divisions to throw them off you trail and left her high and dry to take the rap so you could run like hell. You know, that video of you shooting up that convenience store is all over the internet. There are armed and dangerous APB's out for you with the FBI, the ATF, the US Marshalls, and probably the boy scouts if they could get a lead from them. Rose keeps killing them, but they keep trying to flood the wire services with advisories about you."

"That's bullshit!" I knew I was throwing off more radiation as I started to glow with a golden radiance and the temperature in the room started to rise sharply.

"Jeez, Bella, get a grip! Esme will be pissed as hell if we burn down the house…" I nodded, controlling my breathing, and after a second, the glow faded and the ambient temperature dropped closer to room temperature.

"C'mon, let's go outside so we can go back to school." She walked out of the room and led me down the stairs.

"That's bullshit," I hissed at her. "Insurance companies aren't going to pay for somebody getting shot!

"They would if he was murdered during a botched burglary and he walked in on the perps." She said calmly.

"If you know who I am, then you know what I can do…"

"I've got a pretty good idea."

"I wouldn't have used a gun. A fire would have looked more like an accident. The fucking Shop whacked Phil. He was already dead when I got home from school. I found him…

"They shot up that gas station trying to get us. They didn't even identify themselves or ask us to surrender. They just started shooting up the place. They totally photo shopped that bogus video they leaked on purpose on the internet. It gave them an excuse to issue warrants for our arrest as armed and dangerous."

"Got that Rose? Check it out." Alice said to the air. "Ok. What about your mom?"

"I didn't give up my mom! She put me on a bus and didn't even tell me the whole plan. I was supposed to meet up with her after a couple of weeks, but she said we needed to split up to make us harder to track. She said it was easier for their tracker to follow her. She was supposed to meet up with a shadow she knew that was going to hide her to lose them. I didn't know she was going to go after them by herself! I never would have let her!"

"Ok, I believe you. I knew it was a bullshit story, but it's going to be a hard sell. Not everyone is going to trust you right away."

"I don't need anyone to trust me. I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that, but it's nice to know somebody's got your back too. Are you ready to go back to school?"

"Sure…" Reality twisted and we were standing in the oversized handicapped stall in a bathroom. From the look of it, we were in a bathroom at the high school.

Alice placed her finger to her lips to motion for me to be quiet, and then she cracked the door open and peered out. She pushed the door open a second later and stepped out into the bathroom, ducking to look under the doors of the other stalls to make sure we were alone.

"Ok, wash your hands and touch up your makeup. The warning bell should ring about…" BRRRING, the bell punctuated her statement. "…now."

"I was going to ask, but apparently you have no way of knowing if the room is empty or if there's anyone around to see you appear?"

"Sorry, not that clairvoyant, but I'm lucky and careful. Besides, people are really good at rationalizing. They make up excuses for why I can be where I turn up."

"Ok, that makes sense…"

"Hurry up, Bella, hand washing, lip gloss? Chop, chop! Have fun in Biology. I'll meet you outside the gym after class."

Alice walked out of the bathroom as I turned on the water. She sure was bossy for such a tiny little thing, but she was right. I washed my hands and touched up my lip balm and lip gloss. Everything else was holding up ok.

I left the bathroom and walked to Biology Class. I'd told Charlie I wouldn't take my gun to school, but it wasn't like I had time to get rid of it or anyplace to ditch it. I was leaving after this class, anyhow, so I figured it would be ok this one time. Besides, I couldn't exactly go to the office and ask for a pass to take it home. I was sure that wouldn't go over well at all.

I hurried to the classroom and sat down beside Edward. He was already there and waiting for me.

"So, did you enjoy your trip?" He asked as I prepared for class.

"It was different, but I think I could get used to it," I said as I stared into his piercing green eyes and my heart fluttered and skipped a beat.

His looks still did that to me, even after meeting him and going out with him. That was probably a good thing. I liked Edward, but I had even more questions for him now.

"So, did you arrange this, getting me to be your lab partner?"

"Not exactly. I arranged to not have a partner when there were an odd number of students, but it would be a hassle to rearrange the whole class now. You don't mind sharing a table, do you? I could always make somebody decide to drop the class if you'd prefer to sit with somebody else."

"This is fine. I don't mind being lab partners if you're cool with that."

I hesitated for a minute and then continued. "You know, I'm not a serial killer or axe murderer or anything. I've only done what I needed to do to survive. I'm not planning on killing anyone who doesn't try to kill me first."

Edward nodded "Rose relayed what you told Alice at the house. She confirmed that the internet video was altered to make it look like you did all of that. She even managed to acquire an unaltered copy of the original surveillance video. Of course that doesn't mean they're all just going to trust you right away either. People tend to die when you show up in a town."

"I don't need them to trust me. Alice seems to believe me. Isn't my word good enough for you?"

"It's in Alice's nature to trust. Her abilities allow her to believe in people because she knows what's going to happen as often as not. She trusts her insights, besides, it takes a trusting nature to make that leap of faith to literally cast yourself into the unknown and let the chips fall where they may."

"Do you trust me?"

"You saved my life today, Bella."

"That doesn't answer my question, Edward."

"Apparently I trust you with my life."

I guess that was the best I was going to get out of him. I had other things I was curious about.

"So, you told me a story about what happened to your parents. How much of that was the truth? That is if you don't mind my asking…"

"No, it's ok, I can tell you the real story now. My parents met in college. They were part of a drug test at the University of Chicago. They both assumed they received the placebo, only there wasn't any placebo in the test The Shop was running. They were trying to trigger latent abilities in the general population to identify test subjects."

"That sounds like the same kind of test my parents were part of, only they were at WSU."

"The Shop sponsored testing like that in dozens of universities and colleges all across the United States over a period of several years. Other governments and divisions operated similar programs in other countries. Hundreds of thousands of people were involved in the testing."

"My god, so there could be literally thousands of people like us running around the planet now…"

"That's not counting the naturally occurring mutations that gave rise to the idea in the first place. The drug the Divisions developed to trigger enhanced abilities was based on hormone and enzyme compounds that already existed in nature. They just figured out how to engineer a crude synthetic version. It triggered mutations and enhancements, but on a limited scale. What they weren't expecting was for the enhancements to be stable enough for their enhanced humans to pass their abilities on to their children."

"Umm… Why wouldn't they expect them to be passed on? Isn't that how this kind of thing works?"

"They didn't expect so many of the trial subjects to stabilize and survive. Typically most mutations are unstable and the individual dies before they can breed or is sterile with the rest of the population and unable to pass on the altered genetic material. They were unprepared for the fact that so many of the test subjects that developed abilities lived or the fact that they were capable of having children and passing on their abilities. That's why so many of us slipped through the cracks."

"I didn't slip through the cracks. They kidnapped my mother when she was pregnant with me. I was born at one of their research facilities in Virginia."

"How did you get away?"

"Some of the older more developed prisoners staged an escape from the place and burned the lab to the ground. My mom grabbed me and ran like hell. She married my step dad when I was four, and I grew up thinking he was my father. Then The Shop caught up with us again when I was fourteen."

"Oh…" It wasn't often that I left Edward speechless.

"So what happened to your parents? They slipped through the cracks?"

"Yes, they tested negative for enhanced abilities, so they let them go. They didn't start to manifest abilities until years later after I was born. According to Carlisle, Dr. Cullen, the drug triggered them to develop dormant parts of the brain that enhanced their mental ability. It was almost like growing a new organ that enhanced their mental capabilities. Both of my parents were telepathic and could push people to a limited extent. Eventually they both started to demonstrate symptoms of instability... They'd get nose bleeds when they used their power too much and horrible migraine headaches."

"My mom got the nose bleeds too when she pushed herself too hard. She suffered from migraine headaches for as long as I can remember. I had to take care of her a lot of the time when she couldn't function."

Edward nodded. "Eventually they were diagnosed with brain cancer. The growth became unstable and turned malignant. They went to the hospital and never came home. My parents had confided in Dr Cullen about what had happened to cause their condition. They knew he was honestly trying to help them. He arranged to take me in, and I've been with the Cullens ever since."

"So… Is your condition stable? Is what happened to your parents going to happen to you too?"

"No, So far all of the tests show my condition to be stable. Like most second generation enhanced humans, I grew up with my abilities, and my body has adapted to the physical changes that allow my abilities to function. That's part of why we're stronger than our parents ever dreamed was possible."

"Yeah, I get that. That's why I'm a target. They're afraid of me and what I can do."

"We're all targets. Most of us they want to try to control so they can add us to their army and try to use our abilities for their own agenda. Some of us, they want to dissect to see what makes us tick, but some of us do truly scare them. They're afraid they've opened Pandora's Box and it's too late to slam the lid shut. They've let the genie out of the bottle, and they're struggling to try and stay in control."

"I don't want to control anything except my temper. Why can't they just leave me alone and let me live my life? I don't want to hurt anybody. I've never killed anybody that wasn't trying to kill me. I wouldn't have to hurt them if they'd just stay away."

"Not everybody who has abilities is as compassionate as you or so complacent with their station in life. They've inadvertently unleashed a new world order and the ramifications of what they've done are just beginning to play out. Right now, they're simply trying to run damage control to try and take some of the power players out of the game while they scramble to try and control the situation. All they're really doing is taking out some of the small fry and pissing off the big fish. The next couple of decades are going to get real interesting."

"You've heard the Chinese curse, right? 'May you live in interesting times'?"

Edward chuckled and nodded. "Interesting times get studied as history because they're full of wars or major changes to society, culture, and the balance of power. We'll see all of that in our lifetimes, Bella."

"That's what I'm afraid of." I needed to change the subject and talk about something else. "So what did Alice mean that Rose could hear us? We were standing outside your house, and Rose was at school. How did she manage to figure out the holdup video was bogus so fast, and get a copy of the original besides? Jessica told me she takes auto shop and metal shop, but she has a medical excuse for gym. She looks perfect, too perfect. What exactly does she do?"

"I can't give you all the details. You'll have to win her trust and ask her for yourself, but as for basic abilities, Rose is good with machines. She's probably listening to this conversation on both of our cell phones right now. She does information technology and machines for us. There isn't a computer she can't hack, or a network she can't penetrate, although some of the security systems they've come up with to keep her out are ingenious. It makes me think they have somebody like her on their side."

"So she's good with machines? She's a gear head? Is that even an ability? Why can't she go to gym and how does being perfect and drop dead gorgeous fit with that?"

"If she was standing in your room, she could interface with your computer by laying her hand on it and read every byte of data on your hard drive. She can do to machines and computers what I do with people, but her situation is unique. She doesn't go to gym because our father is a doctor and she doesn't want to go to gym. I'm not allowed to say anymore without violating her trust."

"You violate the privacy of everyone around you as a matter of course, but you won't share Rose's secret?"

Edward shrugged. "Like you, I do what I have to do to survive. Monitoring the minds of those around me to see if they become suspicious and correcting their perceptions is a necessary evil. I don't abuse my ability and take undue advantage when it's unethical. Not telling you about Rose is something I do for Rose because I care about her and her feelings."

"Ok. I thought it was something like that, but I wanted to hear you say it."

I glanced around the room. Class was blithely going on, and everybody in the room was ignoring us while we talked and carried on our own conversation. The teacher didn't call us out for not paying attention and nobody was staring at us or apparently trying to listen in to what we were talking about. Now I finally understood why we could get away with this.

"So when are you going to let me take you out on a real date, Bella. I find you a most intriguing girl. We should spend more time together."

"I get that you like me, but why do you really want to go out with me? You never really said if you even trust me or not..."

He shrugged "That's just who I am. How are we going to move forward if we don't spend time together and get to know one another?"

"I like you, and we spend tons of time together. Pick a day and I'll check my schedule, but I'm kind of keeping my options open right now."

"This is about Jacob Black? He's not worthy of you. He's just like Mike. He'll date you for a while, but then you'll be faced with the same dilemma Jessica is dealing with right now."

I didn't bother asking how he knew, that much was obvious. "So you can see the future now too?" I knew she was dating Mike again, but I didn't know if she'd really gone through with it and given it up to him. Edward would know, though.

"I don't have to look into the future to know what Black was thinking. He was planning his strategy all night long last Saturday at the bowling alley. He was trying to decide how many dates he'd have to take you on before he could start some real action."

"Maybe I'm ok with that?" I wasn't though. I liked Jacob, but I wasn't comfortable with him thinking about me that way. I liked him and wanted to be friends. Maybe more than just friends, but I knew he wanted more. Sometimes I did too when I was out with him, and that bothered me.

"You're not. I don't have to read your mind to see it in your eyes. You're not comfortable with him planning to use you like that. I'll admit, he really does like you, though. Maybe he'll even be in love with you by the time he thinks he can get into your pants, although I wouldn't count on it."

"It doesn't have to be like that. Sara and Dean have been dating for over a year. They're in love. They care about each other."

"Dean was thinking about breaking up with her about the same time Mike and Jessica broke up. Sara just did a better job of stringing him along by getting progressively more physical in their relationship over time to keep him interested. She was willing to do things Jessica balked at. They went all the way after the homecoming dance last month."

"Did Dean… No, he wouldn't have to tell the guys in the locker room for you to know."

"He hasn't told anyone, which is surprising, but it was one of Sara's terms before she gave in. Sex is a regular part of their dating activities now. Sara went to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Port Angeles to get on the pill so she doesn't get pregnant. I have admit, she's been very sensible about the whole thing. Most girls agonize over it more, and there's more angst involved."

"Ok… But they love each other…"

"Dean loves the fact that he gets it whenever he wants it and he doesn't have to wear a rubber anymore because she's on the pill now. He'll tell her he loves her so he doesn't get cut off. Sara's content to do it so she doesn't have to worry about who she's going with to winter formal and prom. She also discovered she likes it too, once they figured out what they were doing, and Dean started taking care of her needs as well as his own."

"Her needs?"

"It usually takes guys a long time to settle down and start thinking about their partner's pleasure too. You know, making sure she gets there too?"

I knew what he was implying, but I must have been sitting there with a dumbfounded look on my face from shock at the turn the conversation had taken because Edward took it upon himself to elaborate.

"You know, an orgasm? You know what an orgasm is, right?"

"Yes, I know what an orgasm is... I know what you mean."

He smirked, and I could feel myself blushing again. "A lot of guys think their job is done once they cum and they forget that the girls needs to get there too. Sara made sure Dean knew differently, so now it's a satisfying experience for both of them."

"I can't believe I'm sitting here having this conversation with you. How did we even get on this topic?"

"I asked you out, and you said you were keeping your options open because you want to date Jacob too."

"You didn't ask me out. I told you to pick a date when you want to go out sometime and I'm just friends with Jacob."

"How about Friday night?"

"I'm going out with Jacob on Friday night..."

"Fine. How about Saturday then? We can go out after the wrestling meet in Fife."

"Ok..." I agreed and then I went on. "So, Jessica said you don't date very often, but you've gone out with a few girls. Why do you really date so infrequently? You don't seem shy about asking me out."

"Dating is a difficult proposition for me. I've told you who I've gone out with before. Angela is a very nice girl. She has nice thoughts about other people most of the time. I told you I went out with Sara a couple of times before she started dating Dean, but she's a little too calculating sometimes. I've gone out with a few other girls."

"Ok, but why is dating a difficult proposition for you? I know you're not too shy or afraid to ask girls out."

"No, it's not that. I'm a seventeen year old boy, and I have natural urges, but I try to respect people's free will most of the time. I try not to make life altering decisions for people or take away their choices when I can avoid it."

"What does that have to do with dating?"

Suddenly Jessica turned to me from across the aisle. "I mean I want my date to make up her own mind about what they do while they're out with me." She turned back to the front of the room and continued taking notes as though nothing had happened.

The girl sitting at the desk in front of me turned around then. "If I'm out on a date with a girl, Bella, it's too easy for me to make her do things without even thinking about it. I don't want to force a girl to be with me. That's unethical." She turned back around in her seat and continued listening to the lecture and jotting down notes as though nothing had happened.

Mr. Banner turned to look me in the eye. "I could be living every teenage boys dream and have any girl in the school I wanted, but I'm not that kind of person. I want them to be with me because they want to be with me, not because I make them want to be with me." He turned back to the class in general, and continued his lecture without missing a beat.

"Ok… I think I see what you mean. That was just freaky, by the way."

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to make my point," Edward said from where he was sitting beside me.

"How can you control them like that? You're controlling the whole room. They aren't hearing a thing we're talking about or paying us any attention. It's like we're invisible to them… Renee could push people and make them do what she wanted, but it was a strain. Controlling one or two people would give her nose bleeds and migraine headaches."

"My parents were the same way. I'm more powerful than they ever imagined because I'm second generation, but this degree of control is really due to my familiarity with the subjects. I've been living in this town for two years and going to school here everyday with these kids. I know their minds almost as well as my own. It gives me a definite edge."

"Ok, so if say you were at the mall in Seattle, you wouldn't be able to do this?"

"Not on this scale. If I was dumped into a fresh environment, it would take time to work up to this degree of control."

"How long?"

"In a pinch with strangers, I could push three or four, maybe half a dozen at once. Maybe less depending on how strong willed they are. More if they're natural followers. The simpler the commands, the easier it is. If it's something they want to do, it's easy. Making people do things they're violently opposed to is much harder."

"Ok, so you're not all powerful, but you'd control a girl you're dating..."

"I can never really know if a girl likes me for me, or if I'm making her like me without even noticing. If they start out liking me, it's too easy to make minute subtle changes to encourage their attraction. It's almost impossible to know if they're really just doing what they want or if I'm making them want it. I can't ever tell if they like me or if I'm making them like me. Hearing every thought in their head doesn't help matters either."

"I can imagine. So what's your life plan then? If dating is so difficult, what are you going to do about…? You know… your urges?"

"Well, right now I do what every other teenage boy in school does…"

"What's that?" I asked, curious.

Edward made a gesture with his closed fist pumping up and down, and I got the drift. I suppose I should have known better than to ask. That was definitely too much information.

"I have considered just picking a girl and dating her throughout high school if I could find somebody whose inner monologue I could stomach. She'd be in love with me, but somehow that seems unscrupulous and dishonorable to me."

"Oh, you think? What about the girl, what would you do when you were done with her?"

"It wouldn't be much different than what Sara's doing with Dean. I'd take good care of her and wouldn't make her do disgusting things. We'd either break up after graduation and part on good terms if we went to separate colleges, or if I grew attached, I might even take her to college with me."

"Gee, that's nice of you," I said sarcastically.

"Isn't it better to pick one girl and remain committed to her in a relationship than simply picking different girls at random to date, satisfy my urges and ignore their feelings?"

"You know… that kind of sounds like rape to me…"

"Not if they consent and want it."

"You can make them consent and want it. It's not consent if you're making them like you and make them want it!"

"You begin to see my dilemma. That's why I don't date. I've experimented, but I can't have a normal relationship without inadvertently controlling the situation and falling into morally and ethically challenging territory. I have no way of knowing if a normal girl is falling in love with me because she wants to, or if I'm subtly altering her mind to influence her decisions and make her love me without even consciously making the attempt. Obviously I want her to love me, and I'd do all the normal relationship things to win her love, but am I doing more? There's no way to tell."

"I could see where that could be a problem..."

"You know, if I ever marry a normal girl, it'll probably be that sort of arrangement. I don't want to control them, but there's no way I would be able to not control the situation."

"So you'd move up from the Stepford girlfriend to the Stepford wife. Why does that just sound sick to me?"

"Why do you think I haven't done it? I suppose if I was together long enough with my Stepford wife I could adjust her thoughts to something palatable enough to be around. In fact, it would probably happen naturally without my conscious control."

"Unless you dated a shield… You wouldn't be able to control somebody like me..." I had to admit, I was the perfect girl for Edward. I was the only girl in the school whose mind he couldn't read, and the only girl he couldn't control like a puppet on strings.

"You're beginning to see my point."

"I'll admit I like you... I don't know if I like the fact that the only reason you want to date me is because I'm the only girl in the school that you can possibly have a normal relationship with."

"That's not the only reason why I want to date you. You're beautiful, intelligent, funny and independent. I'd be attracted to you regardless of the fact that I can't read your mind. The fact that I can't order you around is a distinct bonus, but it's not the sole reason why I like you, Bella. I love the fact that we discuss things and have to compromise and I have talk to you to find out what's on your mind."

"I like you too, Edward, but that doesn't mean you can make things not work out with Jacob." I wasn't even sure why I threw that caveat in, but I wasn't just going to say yes to Edward. I wasn't ready to tell Jacob I'd made up my mind, and Edward just seemed a little too smug to not have some kind of competition.

"Fine, I'll give him his shot, but he'll screw it up all on his own. I won't have to make it happen."

"Don't get your hopes up. Jacob is a nice guy."

"Let's not talk about Jacob. I want to talk about you. Tell me about Phoenix."

We chatted like that for the rest of class, Edward asked me questions and I learned more about him. He really was an interesting guy, and we seemed to have a lot in common. I could see myself going out with him, but I didn't like the fact that he seemed to take it for granted that we'd end up together. It was almost like he was still controlling the situation, despite the fact that he couldn't get into my head and just make me want him.

Edward let the rest of the people in the classroom notice us again right before the bell rang. Jessica got up and went over to talk to Mike.

Edward saw me look at them as we were going to the door. "She's going to give in and do it. She figures she's better off giving in and having sex with him to have a boyfriend than having the whole school know he broke up with her because she said no. Now the whole school will know they got back together because she said yes."

"I know, I talked to Mike at Newton's last week. I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet."

"She's taking it in stages, working up to it. He agreed to get back together with her and got rewarded with a blow job."

"Ok... TMI, Edward..."

"Welcome to my world. I get the inside track on all the teen drama whether I want to know or not."

"Ok... Will he respect her and at least be the boyfriend she's looking for?"

"No. He figures he's worn down her resistance and she's about ready to give in. He figures he'll have to promise to take her to the Winter Formal to get into her pants, but he's still thinking about who else he can date after he gets what he wants from her. He still thinks he has a shot with you. You're his number one choice, but you're at the top of a list. He's not planning to keep dating Jessica long term whether she has sex with him or not."

"That bastard! The least he can do is be her boyfriend if she gives in and says yes."

"That makes it ok in your book?"

"Well, yes… I suppose. They have a history and they've been going out forever. She ought to at least get a boyfriend out of the deal if she says yes."

"Ok, done. Should they be in love too?"

"Well, if they're a couple and dating, then yes."

"You're a romantic, Ms. Swan, but ok."

We stepped into the hallway, and Edward walked beside me as we walked toward the gym.

"What do you mean ok? What did you do?"

"They're already a couple again. Jessica is still going to have sex with him, but he'll be her boyfriend now. They're in love, and they'll probably continue dating until they graduate. Then all bets are off."

"You did that?"

"She had already made her decision. She was going to give in to win him back. Now she gets the happily ever after you wanted her to have instead of a year and a half of humiliation, teen angst and dates who expect her to put out when she goes out with them."

"Well I hope she's bright enough to use protection."

"She's going with Sara to the free clinic in Port Angeles for birth control pills."

"That takes time to work. Does Mike have rubbers?"

"He'll make sure he does."

"Fine. Umm… Is he considerate enough to make sure Jessica has a good time?"

"You catch on quickly, don't you? He isn't. Should he be?"

"Umm… Yes, he should."

"Ok. You know, most girls don't have a good time the first time, but he'll be most considerate. Jessica is lucky to have such a good friend as you."

"Umm… Yeah, and she's never going to find out about any of this, is she?"

"Find out what?"

"Thank you, Edward." I said as I looked up into his eyes and he smiled down at me. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. He was certainly handsome enough.

Alice was waiting for me by the door when we got to the gym.

Edward kissed me on the cheek. "I'll see you in Bainbridge tonight. I have to go meet up with the wrestling team." and he walked through the door into the gym.

"Well, it looks like things are still ok with Edward." Alice said.

"I like Edward, Alice. I don't know if I like the fact that I'm the only girl he can possibly date without totally controlling everything that happens, though."

"You two were meant for each other. It's like destiny. Besides, you know you're totally into him. Why fight it? C'mon, let's go inside. I have to go talk to Esme for a minute before we leave."

Alice opened the door Edward had gone through, and we walked into the Gym.

"Fine, I get it. I said I like him, but its sort of the same problem Edward has with other girls and not knowing if they really like him or if he's making them like him. Does he really like me for me and who I am, or does he like me because I'm the only girl in the world who's mind he can't read? He's going to be attracted to me if he can't read me or control me because that's his dream girl."

"You're putting way too much thought into this, Bella. Is it so bad for him to want you because you're the girl of his dreams? Besides, you're not the only girl in the world who's mind he can't read."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up, who else can't he read?"

"He can't read Rose. She told you on Saturday when you guys talked. She said Edward couldn't hear you guys. He had to ask you what she told you."

"Ok. How do you know all of that, by the way? You don't read minds too, do you?"

"Umm... No... Edward and I are really close, but in a brother sister sort of way. We talk about everything, Bella. You aren't mad about that, are you?"

"No... I'm glad you guys are so close."

"Good. Edward feels that if he knows every thought in our heads, he should be open with the rest of us about everything. We discuss everything. There are no secrets in our house."

"Everything?" I wasn't sure I liked what that seemed to imply.

"He left out the details, Bella. I know you made out with him, but that was only obvious. He didn't give us the play by play. If you want to discuss it I'll listen. If you have any questions about guys and what to do or how something works I'll answer them. I've pretty much done everything, but that's completely up to you."

"Ok, thanks, Alice. Umm... I'll get back to you on that."

"That's fine. Just know I here for you, and I'll do anything for you, Bella."

I nodded and followed Alice into the wrestling room. The cheerleaders were in their uniforms but had warm-ups on so they wouldn't freeze on the trip to Bainbridge. They were gathering up their things to load onto the school bus. Alice went over to talk to Esme, and she had several tasks for her to take care of before they left.

Esme called me over after Alice went out to check on something for her. She was holding a folder with some papers in it.

"Bella, could you take these permission slips to the office for me and give them to Mrs. Cope?" She asked me. "The school needs to have them on file so the girls can ride the bus to travel to the wrestling meet. We just had the last ones turned in today."

"Sure, Esme. I take them right over," and took the folder from her.

I was walked out of the wrestling room to start down the stairs into the gym when my cell phone rang in my purse.

I wondered who could possibly be calling me right now. I dug the phone out of my purse and looked at the caller ID, wondering who would call me at school.

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when the caller ID said Rosalie Hale. She tended to call when she had something on her mind to discuss with me.

I flipped the phone open and pressed the button to accept the call. "Hello?" I said a little tentatively.

"_Hi, Bella. I thought we should have a little chat. I can't control the room like Edward does, so keep walking, and we can talk while you walk to the office._"

"Umm… Ok... What did you need?" I asked as I walked down the stairs.

"_I thought we should clear the air. __I'm sorry I was rude to you the other day, Bella. Ok, pleasantries over with, you've got the papers, keep walking. Alice will be expecting you and you only have about twelve minutes left before she's going to want to leave._"

"Fine… So what did you want to talk about?" I asked as I walked out of the stairwell and crossed the gym, headed toward the office.

"_I didn't want to trust you at first, but I've been running a background check on you since you got here, and I realize now that you were set up by The Shop. I'm sorry about your step father. I honestly thought you really killed him until I started digging into the records. You mother really managed to dig up a lot of information about The Shop and their operations._"

"Umm… Thank you, Rose, I guess… How did you get into Renee's files? That's all encrypted, and the servers are on an isolated network. There are no information connections…"

"_Oh please, like that's going to keep me out? If it's plugged in, it's part of the grid. All I needed was a physical location. I pulled that off the flash drive Renee sent Charlie._"

"That computer is physically isolated…"

"_There's a wireless router in the same room. The computer has a wireless LAN card; it was just disabled, not disconnected. Besides, like I said, it's plugged in. We're wasting time. This isn't what I called to discuss._"

"Ok… What did you want to talk about?"

"_Edward._"

"Ok… What about Edward?"

"_I'm the only other girl at school that can say no to Edward. He can't read my mind or control me like all the other people around you. Consequentially, I have become his defacto conscience. I'm the one that keeps him from doing all the sick things he could be doing. He knows I'll kick his ass if he steps out of line and tries to live out all his sick male fantasies._"

"Oh… Alice mentioned he couldn't read you."

"_I know, I was listening._ _I'm the reason he hasn't pulled that Stepford girlfriend bullshit. I won't let him get away with it. He does wrestle with his sense of ethics, and he knows it's wrong. He's a good person at heart, and wants to do the right thing, but he is still a seventeen year old boy. He would have done a lot more by now if I wasn't around to tell him no._"

I'd been walking steadily towards the office while we talked, and I was standing outside the office door now.

"That's good to know, Rose. I'm at the office, by the way…"

"_I'll hold while you drop off the papers._"

"Ok…"

I walked into the office and Mrs. Cope was sitting at her desk when I stepped up to the counter.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Cope?"

She turned to look up at me and pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. "Bella? I thought you were leaving early to go to the wrestling meet? How are you feeling dear, Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. We're getting ready to go. Alice and I are helping Esme get the girls ready to leave. Esme asked me to bring these permission slips up to the office."

"Oh, alright," She said as she got up out of her chair and came to the counter.

She took the folder from me and opened it to leaf through the papers. "Good, I'll file these so we have them on record. Thank you, Bella. Have fun at the wrestling meet."

"Thank you, I will," I said and walked out of the office.

I lifted the phone back to my ear. "Rose, are you still there?"

"_I'm here._"

"Ok, so why are you telling me all of this?" I asked as I walked around the office the other way.

This way I wouldn't have to go all the way around the cafeteria, and could go in the front door of the gym. I'd have to cut across the edge of the parking lot, but that shouldn't be a problem.

"_I can't keep him contained forever, Bella. He needs a release. He needs a real relationship with a real girl who he can't control and can tell him no and I happen to already be in a committed relationship. You aren't._"

"Excuse me? You aren't suggesting what I think you're suggesting…"

"_You like him. You're physically attracted to him. Your heart rate increases by an average of twenty percent in his presence and becomes mildly erratic. You have a typical papillary dilation response, your skin becomes flushed, and your pheromones indicate primary sexual stimulation. Your IR signature indicates arousal while in his presence._"

"Papillary dilation response… What…?"

"_Your nipples get hard. Your body reacts positively to him, and analysis of your conversations would tend to indicate that you're interested in him on an emotional level as well. You're sympathetic to his situation and you share common aspects to your backgrounds and circumstances. These are ideal mating conditions. There is a ninety-five percent probability that you will be compatible partners in a long term relationship._"

"So what, you're working for Match-dot-com now? I'm not looking for a boyfriend…"

"_You are intent upon dating a male and entering into a physical and emotional relationship in the near future. You actions would tend to indicate that you are intent upon entering into a relationship with a male at this time. None of the other males at school are a good choice for you. You'll find it difficult to continue to hide your abilities if you date any of them. They'll out you without meaning to hurt you._"

"You don't know that…"

"_There is an eighty-seven percent probability that any of the available males at this school will tell other people about your powers in the event they find out about them. Based on previous tendencies to discuss their activities with girls they've dated with their male companions in the locker room, it is likely they'll confide your abilities to them as well. Anything you do with any of them will likely become common knowledge to their friends and all of their friends._"

"Oh…"

I was walking through the edge of the student parking lot, and I looked out at all the cars. All of the kids were still in class for sixth period, but something odd caught my eye…

"_Look, you're going to be around for a while. You're likely going to be joining our team, just like Alice said you would. Chances are, you'll leave with us when we move on and relocate again. You are looking for a boyfriend, whether you realize it and want to admit it or not. Any normal guy you date at school is going to kiss and tell. Edward isn't going to tell anyone because he already knows and he has just as much to hide as you do. Think about it."_

Rosalie Hale was walking towards a car. It was Edward's silver Volvo that I'd seen parked in the parking lot this morning.

She wasn't talking on the phone. There was no phone in her hand, and I was close enough to see that she wasn't wearing a Bluetooth head set. She wasn't talking to anyone at all. She was just walking along the sidewalk, and then stopped next to the Volvo to unlock the door.

"Ok… Rose, or whoever this really is… Why am I looking at you getting into a car in the parking lot at school? You're not talking on the phone. Who is this really? Did Edward put you up to this?"

The voice on the phone sighed. "_It's really me, Bella. I don't need to have the phone in my hand to talk to you on the phone. My side of this conversation is being generated on a computer system in a secure location. This call is scrambled and encrypted, which is the only reason we're even having a phone conversation about this in the first place. Look back at the car…_"

I stopped on the sidewalk, and turned my head to look back at the car. Rose waved at me.

"_Yes, that's really me waving at you,_" the voice on the phone said. Then the Rose on the sidewalk said, "Get going. You're going to be late to meet Alice. We'll finish talking while you walk back to the gym."

The voices sounded the same. Then Rose got into the car to leave while I talked to her on the phone, only the Rose driving the car wasn't talking on the phone.

"How… How are you doing that?" I asked as I started walking back to the gym.

"_It's a long story. We don't have time right now. Keep walking. I know you already like him, Bella, and if he's together with you, we don't have to worry about him controlling other girls for sex_."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… Who said anything about sex?!"

"_It figured prominently in your conversation with Edward this afternoon in Biology class. You said it was ok as part of a long term committed relationship. Take as much time as you need to get comfortable with the idea. I'm not telling you to sleep with him on your next date. I'm sure he'll be intrigued by the idea of chasing you and winning your love and trust, but we both know where this is going. You know you'd end up doing it with whoever you ended up dating if you were together long enough. You like Edward that way too. Take six months or a year if that's what you need, but we both know it's going to happen._"

"I'm seventeen years old, Rose. Isn't that kind of young to even be talking about this? Is it even legal?"

"_When was legal ever a concern for you? Regardless, the age of consent in Washington is sixteen, unless your partner is in a position of authority over you like a teacher or your employer._"

"Oh… Sixteen seems awful young to me. Do girls even think about really doing it that young? I know some girls do, but how common is that sort of thing? Isn't it all just talk? I can't believe that many girls really go through with it..."

"_Yes, they do. Statistically, forty-nine percent of girls have had first time sex by age seventeen, forty percent before they're sixteen, twenty-six percent by age fifteen. The average age for first time sex for white girls in the United States is age sixteen point six. You're actually a little behind the curve, and if you wait until you're completely comfortable with the idea, you'll actually be older than is typical for your ethnicity and social class. That's understandable though, your living conditions have been unstable, and you haven't had an opportunity to form stable relationships with males your age before now due to your unique situation._"

"Oh… how do you know I haven't…?"

"_You told Sara and Jessica that you're a virgin, a nervous one in fact. Besides, your reluctance to consider this possibility demonstrates your lack of experience with this activity. Edward's a virgin too, if that makes this any easier._"

"Ok…" Jeez, I had no privacy around here at all, between Edward and Rose. I thought I was safe because he couldn't read my mind, but apparently both of them heard every word that came out of my mouth.

"_Society and culture can preach abstinence and waiting all they like, but biology has its own time line. Your body is telling you it's time, but our culture is telling you good girls wait. Statistics don't lie. Seventy-seven percent of girls will have had sex by age nineteen, ninety-two percent by age twenty-two while the average age at first marriage is twenty-six point five. The simple fact of the matter is good girls do in fact have sex. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Bella._"

"Fine, but I want to at least be in love with the guy I end up having… You know… Is that too much to ask?"

"_Not at all. You should be in love. It's a wonderful thing, but it's something that grows and you nurture. It starts with basic animal attraction, and then you get to know the person you're attracted to. Edward could be that person if you give him a chance. You're already attracted to him. The rest is up to the two of you._"

"Why are you pushing me so hard to give Edward a chance?"

"_Because I consider him to be my brother, and I love him. He deserves love too. I want him to be happy, and that's so hard for him because of his gifts._"

"Fine, but why me?" I already knew what she was going to tell me though.

"_I determined that there was less than a fraction of one percent probability that he would find a suitable mate with our current relocation, but this locale provided us with the best opportunity to remain hidden while participating in the local community._"

"Suitable meaning somebody he can't control. I guess you beat the odds."

"_It would appear that random chance has operated in our favor. I gave him a fraction of one percent chance due to the testing I knew had been performed at WSU. That should have increased the probability of enhanced humans occurring in this vicinity, but the odds of finding a female with the shield ability that was compatible with Edward were diminishingly small. There aren't a whole lot of girls he can even date, Bella. I know of two in this state, and I'm taken. I'm sure there are probably more girls out there in the world someplace like you that he could date, but you moved here, you go to school with him, and you're single. I don't want to believe its fate, but the odds of this happening are astronomically small._"

"So what, I'm just supposed to take one for the team, Rose? Just go out with him and be his girlfriend so he doesn't become some kind of evil pervert that rapes every girl he dates? How is that even fair to me?"

"_It's not like you're really giving up a lot here._ _He's a good person, Bella. He has redeeming qualities. He's somebody you could love if you gave him a chance. Edward doesn't trust easily, but I know you're somebody he could come to love if you gave him the chance. I know you're attracted to him physically, you could love him too if you let yourself._"

"Fine, I'll think about it, but I'm not just going to just dump Jacob and start dating Edward. Let's give this some time and see how it works out."

"_You don't really want to date Jacob Black. You've stated on several occasions that you want his friendship, not a romantic relationship. You're using Jacob to play hard to get. I just wanted to let you know the score so you'll keep an open mind."_

"Keep an open mind...?"

Then something occurred to me. Rose did information technology and computers for the Cullens. Edward had described some of what she could do, and I'd seen some of for myself. What I was thinking made me mad.

"Are you screening my calls so Jacob can't call me, Rose?"

"_Maybe... Why do you even want to talk to him anyhow? Edward is a much better choice for you..._"

"That may be so, but you will stop interfering in my personal life this instant! I told Edward, I've told Alice, and now I'm telling you! Let me make my own mistakes! If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be, but I can be friends with both Edward and Jacob at the same time!"

"_Are you sure that's wise Bella? You don't want to send Jacob the wrong message..._"

"I've been out on one date with Edward. I'm not his girlfriend! If at some point that changes, then of course I'll stop seeing Jacob, but I still want him to be my friend, regardless of whether or not I'm dating Edward. He's an old family friend of Charlie's, and I'm part of Charlie's family, so that makes him my friend too!"

"_So you're just friends then? Since when do your male friends kiss you good night or make out with you? He had you practically naked in your bedroom the other day. If your father hadn't returned home when he did, you likely would have had sex with him._"

"I was not going to have sex with him! Things got a little carried away, but I would have told him no."

"_You didn't appear to want him to stop. Telling him no did not appear to be your intention._"

"I'm going to decide who I date, Rose. I can go on a date with Jacob and still be friends. I'll decide when I'm ready to make up my own mind!"

I had plans to go out with Jacob, but I'd wanted to keep it casual and just friends. Now I was just mad because of what Rose had done. I knew I'd probably continue to go out with Jacob just to spite Rose now, even If I did just want to be friends. She was making things harder by interfering.

"_Fine, I'll butt out and let you make your own mistakes, but this is going to complicate matters..._"

"Life is supposed to be complicated, Rose. I understand what you're trying to do for Edward, but you will stop blocking Jacob's calls immediately. If he wants to call me, he can call me. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't listen in..."

"_Beggars can't be choosers, and you'll never know whether I do or not..._"

"Well, at least don't relay the calls to Edward. That's cheating. Edward said he'd play fair..."

"_All fair in love and war. I won't screen Jacob's calls anymore, Bella, but I still think this is a mistake._"

"Fine, but it's my mistake to make."

"_Don't tell me I didn't warn you. We'll talk some more later. Tell Alice I said hi._" The line went dead as Rosalie ended the call.

I closed the phone and stuck it back in my purse as I walked back into the wrestling room to meet Alice.

**Author's note:**

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come


	19. Interlude - Paydirt

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **VPOV (Victoria). guest narrator POV for the other side of the story in the interlude chapters.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

**Warning: ** This chapter contains depictions of graphic violence. If you are easily offended by violence against women and non-consensual sexual situations, then skip this chapter.

This chapter is part of the bad guys storyline. The main storyline will continue in the next chapter.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 19 – Interlude Paydirt

Monday – 12/05/2005

Sunday we had searched further north of Seattle, but we came up dry. James seemed antsy and mildly troubled or distracted. He got like this sometimes when he was tracking an elusive quarry. We didn't have much to go on, but I'd learned to trust his hunches. He pulled me aside after lunch.

"We're heading the wrong direction," James said. "This doesn't feel right. We're too far north... We're too far from the call... I think we need to search farther south... and west... we're still too far east."

"Ok, where should we be searching then?"

"You know this isn't an exact science, Vic... Let me look at the map again..."

James went back to the table and opened his laptop. He pulled up a map of Washington, and zoomed in on our general vicinity. South and west put us on the Olympic Peninsula, west of Seattle. There wasn't much out there but rocks and fish and a big national park. There was an Indian Reservation out on the coast.

Most of the towns and settlements were clustered around Puget Sound along the eastern edge of the Peninsula. There were a couple of good sized towns along the northern edge. There was a lot more towns and civilization on the southern base of the peninsula, west of Tacoma. Beyond that, there was a widely spaced scattering of tiny villages and fly speck towns on the western side of the Peninsula.

It was a huge area to cover and it could take us weeks or months to visit all those towns. We needed to find a way to narrow the search.

"Ok, you said south and west... What's your gut tell you? How far south and how far west?"

James shrugged. "You know it's not that precise until I get more hits. I just think we should start searching in that direction."

"Ok, what does a seventeen year old girl alone and on the run do?"

"She's going to need food, shelter, clothes," Courtney said. "She's alone now..."

"The mother was the main provider for them before. She could use her ability to make people give them cash, food, shelter, rides. She didn't like using her power too much, and neither of them liked to steal, but they would if they were forced to."

"If she's alone and broke and needs supplies, she's going to need to either steal money or what she needs..." Courtney said.

"She's not going to hit a bank or rob a convenience store. She'll try to be discrete and only take what she needs to survive. Maybe shoplifting, small petty thefts that will go unnoticed or that she can try to get away with by being sneaky, she doesn't want to hurt anyone or get caught. She won't let them arrest her, but she'll be discovered if she uses her powers to get away."

"We should be so lucky," James said sarcastically. "Getting into trouble like that would be like waving a red flag, saying 'here I am, come get me'."

"So shop lifting, or maybe panhandling for cash," Courtney said. "That means a store big enough to blend into so she isn't noticed picking stuff up, or a big store with enough traffic so she can pan handle without a lot of competition or getting run off by the locals. What big department stores are in that area?"

James checked the map again and ran a quick search. "Bingo! There's a Walmart Supercenter in Sequim. Groceries, clothes, electronics, music, you name it, everything a seventeen year old girl could want. Big enough to blend in and enough traffic that she isn't going to stand out to the locals. If she's been through her, then she's been there."

"Fine, let's call it a night then and find a hotel. We'll drive to Sequim first thing tomorrow morning and start our search with the Walmart. Then we'll decide where to go next."

"Sounds like a plan," James said with a smirk as he turned to look at Courtney. "We can get some dinner and hang out. I'm looking forward to dessert. If you've been a good girl, Courtney, I have something I'm looking forward to feeding you too..."

I felt her shudder beside me, and I knew she knew exactly what James had in mind. Part of her was quivering with anticipation. Part of her dreaded what would happen tonight when she went to her room. She still hadn't decided which side was more powerful, but she knew she wouldn't tell him no. She was looking forward to it too much to do that, no matter how much he might hurt her.

It should prove an interesting night for all of us…

~*`MTH`*~

James came walking out of the Walmart store. He had a huge smile on his face as walked up to the car and got into the passenger seat next to Laurent.

"She's been here. I got solid hits on her scent in the women's section. There are markers all over the changing rooms. It looks like she came here and tried on a lot of clothes. Maybe she tore off the tags and walked out in different clothes than she came in wearing, but it doesn't feel like she was shoplifting. It feels like she was shopping. I got some hits in the shoe department and the office supplies too, but all the hits are old. She hasn't been here for at least a week, almost two weeks."

"Ok, well at least that confirms that she's in the area." I said. "It doesn't look like she's planning to move on if she's buying a bunch of clothes. She never had money to shop like this when she was on the run before. Either she's come across a windfall of cash, or she has help. Did you track any other scents that seemed to move in the same pattern as hers?"

"Are you serious? Do you have any idea how many people shop at a Walmart store every day, let alone in a week and a half? It's totally fucking amazing that I can even confirm that she's been here. That's a miracle all by itself. Next thing you know, you'll want me to walk on water and tell you if she crossed the red sea."

"Ok, fine. So she was shopping. She had money. She's never liked to steal to survive. The mother's out of the picture, so how did she get cash?"

"Part time job?" James suggested. "Maybe she's flipping burgers somewhere…"

"No," Courtney said. "The timing doesn't work. She was here within days of arrival. That's not long enough to get a paycheck from a job."

"Fine, so if she didn't earn the money or steal it, how did she go shopping?" James asked.

"Any idea how she got here or left?" Courtney asked.

"The track starts and stops in the parking lot. It smells like she got here in a car and then got back into it to leave."

"Somebody's taken her in and given her a home," I said. "That's who the mother was on the phone with. She knew she wasn't going to get away from us. She called someone to set up a safe haven for the girl."

"Ok, that's significant. She has help now," Courtney said, "Someone who the mother knew in the area. Do we have any idea who her contacts were in this part of the country?"

"Unfortunately, no, that's a dead end just like the University. All those files and records were destroyed at Longmont."

"So what's our next move then?" Courtney asked.

"What was she looking at in the office supplies section?" I asked.

James shrugged. "Pens, pencils, spiral bound notebooks, folders, binder paper, binders, backpacks and messenger bags, all kinds of junk."

Courtney looked at me with a smile on her face, and I knew we'd both come to the same conclusion. "School supplies," We chorused in unison.

"School supplies?" James asked. "Why the hell would she buy school supplies?"

"She's seventeen. She's in a new town living with some family, trying to blend in. Somebody brought her here and bought her a bunch of new clothes and school supplies. She's enrolled in high school somewhere around here, trying to hide in plain sight by acting like a normal seventeen year old girl."

"Ok, so we call all the high schools in the area and ask them for a list of all the new students that have enrolled since thanksgiving. Bam, we've got her, or a short list of names to check out."

"We can try to collect that information, but we've got to be more discrete..." I said.

"Why?" James asked. "We can end this today. How many seventeen year old girls do you think have enrolled in school in the last week? A couple of phone calls, we go put a couple of nine millimeter slugs behind her ear, and we're on a jet home tonight."

Courtney shuddered at the vivid imagery of James description, but she knew that was how this was supposed to end. They all thought that was the reason we were searching for her. That was the way this would end for them, but it wouldn't end for Dwyer that way. Dying was just the first part of the process. I knew what they'd do to her after I had the body shipped back to Virginia. She'd end up like me…

"I don't want to make those calls. We can submit the request for information to headquarters on a secure land-line, but the information will be compromised if we start making phone calls. I have no doubt she'll be tipped off and she'll most likely run again."

"Tipped off? How?" James asked. "You think we've got a mole in our operation or something?" He asked, glancing at Courtney.

"No, this is much more serious. I discussed this with Renata. I think Dwyer's got a ghost running cover for her."

"What's a ghost?" Courtney asked.

"A hacker," James said with derision.

"This goes beyond the typical definition of a hacker though," I said when I saw the look on Courtney's face and felt the recognition of the threat in her mind. She thought she understood, but there were important differences.

"A ghost has a special ability like we do. James is a technically a sniff, but his ability goes beyond the norm and he's a much more powerful tracker than the run of the mill sniff. Laurent is a shadow, but his ability is extraordinary among shadows and he has the eraser ability as you're aware.

"The name ghost is a reference to the concept of 'ghost in the machine', or references to machine intelligence. A ghost can literally interface with computers and information systems and live in the machine. Their mind becomes part of the network and they can do more than any human hacker you've ever heard of or dealt with. Some ghosts, like Renata, describe the experience as being similar to what the film makers tried to portray in the movie, 'the Matrix', although a ghost doesn't need the specialized equipment they showed to access the grid."

"Ok... So we're saying super hacker here?" Courtney asked.

"Whoever it is, they're good. Renata's been tracking this for a long time. She thinks it might be the same ghost who spiked the servers at Longmont and screwed all our files before we were secure and had adequate protection against the threat.

"So far every piece of electronic data related to Dwyer has been compromised. Records have been altered or simply erased or removed, anything that could lead us to her has been altered, changed or corrupted to throw us off the trail or shut us down."

"And you think talking on the phone about this is dangerous and might tip them off?"

"If they knew that we specifically were hunting her, they could probably monitor this conversation without us even being aware of it."

"How is that even possible? Some kind of wire tap?"

"If they knew it was us, they could listen in through our cell phones and we wouldn't even know it. Turning them off wouldn't even matter to a ghost this powerful."

"Ok... So calling all the schools in the area is a bad idea, why?"

"They're probably running a keyword search and flagging potential threats to discovery. Calling the schools will tip them off that we're in the area searching."

"Then how do we get the information?"

"I'll submit a request through secure channels to our ghost and have her follow up on the lead. It'll take time, but if she's going to high school around her somewhere, we may get a hit, or the ghost running cover for her might alter the records before we find what we're looking for."

"Ok, so what's our next move then?"

"We do this the old fashioned way and hit the bricks. We keep searching until James gets a solid track, and then he leads us to her. To do that, we need to find out where she's hold up; we need to at least be in the same town to have a shot at crossing her path."

"Alright, she's only been here to the Walmart once since she's been here." Courtney said. "That means she's probably not living here in Sequim, or she would have been back by now if she did.

"People that live out of town or in smaller towns make trips into the city to shop maybe once a week or a couple of times a month, depending on the frequency of their paychecks, longer the farther out they live from the store. If they lived closer to another Walmart, they'd have gone there to shop."

"I agree. Where are the rest of the Walmart stores in the area?"

James was running a search on his laptop as I spoke, then turned the screen towards us "There's another Walmart Supercenter in Port Angeles, then the next closest one is about twenty-five or thirty miles south in Poulsbo. If your theory is correct that means we can rule out all the little towns west and south of Port Angeles.

"They're probably in one of the little towns on the northeast corner of the peninsula, around Port Townsend or one of the little towns along the east coast of the Olympic Peninsula."

"Or they picked a different Walmart to shop at to throw us off the trail," I said.

"Well, we have to start somewhere," James said. "What do you want to do?"

"First we finish up here and search more carefully. James, you canvas the rest of the shops and stores in the local vicinity. Laurent, go with James. Courtney, you come with me. We're going to look at the security feeds for the time period in question, and see if we can figure out who she was with when she came to the store."

There were nods of assent. Then Courtney said, "Can you narrow down the time frame at all for when she was most likely here?"

James shrugged. Sometime after thanksgiving, say between black Friday and that Sunday."

"That fit's," I said. She most likely started school that Monday after the holiday weekend."

"It's going to be hard to pick her out of the crowd." Courtney said. Do you have any idea how many people shop at Walmart on the Friday after thanksgiving. Or even during that first weekend?"

I nodded. "Been there, done that. I never said this was going to be fun, but it's something we need to do."

Courtney nodded and we split up. James and Laurent took the car, while Courtney and I went back into the department store to go find the store manager and the security department.

The store manager wasn't hard to find. We just walked up to the customer service counter and asked for him. The people standing in line waiting with returns or to use the customer service services were a little put out, but they didn't grumble nearly as much or seem as put out when we showed our badges to the lady at the counter, and she escorted us into the back of the department around the counter. I heard them paging the manager and it was a short wait until he showed up.

The man in the slacks, white shirt and tie, and a blue vest looked slightly haggard and overworked. He appeared to be in a perpetual hurry, and his mind was busy considering half a dozen matters he had to attend to immediately. He was prioritizing emergencies as he talked to us and seemed a little put out over being disturbed, but he kept a smile on his face while he helped us. This was his job, and what he'd been hired to do. He seemed to be efficient and driven, important attributes for his position.

"Can I help you ladies today? Amy said you needed to see me about an urgent security issue?"

I got out my badge to show him. It always helped in a situation like this to add official weight to my words. "I'm Special Agent Victoria Tomlinson, CIA. This is Lieutenant Courtney Scott from the Air Force. She's been assigned to my team as military liaison. We're looking for a suspect who's been implicated in the assault and murder of several federal agents and is considered to be a dangerous terrorist and a threat to national security."

"Alright... What can I do to help you?"

"We have reason to believe that the suspect was at your store shopping during the thanksgiving holiday weekend. We believe they may have accomplices in the area that were with them while they were in your store. We'd like to review your security camera recordings for the time period in question."

He didn't even blink or think twice about our request. He had an automatic prepared response for us. "Let me turn you over to the head of the store security department. He handles requests from law enforcement to look at the camera feeds. Follow me, and I'll show you to his office."

Apparently requests like ours weren't an uncommon occurrence, although it was the first time he'd ever gotten a request like this from the CIA or the military. Typically it was the local cops making the request, but a couple of times, the FBI had asked. He just sighed as he directed us to the security office, this was one of the things you just had to deal with when you ran a big store like this that catered to the masses. He had no control over who walked through the doors to shop at his store. They'd sell whatever they had for sale to anyone who was willing to buy it. That was how retail worked.

The manager led us into another office at the end of the hallway. It was a larger room, and there were banks of monitors with four-way split screens that periodically changed to different views of the interior of the store and the parking lot. There was a man sitting in front of the monitors, keeping tabs on them, and another man sitting at a desk. He looked up when we walked in.

"Tony, these ladies need to view some of your surveillance recordings. This is Special Agent Tomlinson from the CIA and Lieutenant Scott from the Air Force. Special Agent, Lieutenant, this is Tony Kyle, our head of security. He'll help you get setup."

The store manager excused himself after introducing us and left. We had to show Mr. Kyle our badges again and sign a security log, and then we got down to business. He had some forms for us to fill out and I had Courtney work on that. That was one of the liaison duties she been assigned to facilitate.

I guess their typical procedure was to accept the request to view the surveillance footage, and then run it past the corporate office for approval. Mr. Kyle expected us to turn in the request form and then come back in a couple of days when it was convenient for him.

Unfortunately that wasn't convenient for me. Turning in a request and waiting for a bunch of people in another office to review it would increase the chances that the information would be compromised. Tony Kyle had heard it all before and was very skeptical when I told him it was a matter of national security.

I was forced to make a couple of phone calls. Tony received a phone call and suddenly his tone changed. He was practically falling over himself to get us setup with everything we needed.

Courtney and I spent the rest of the morning and half the afternoon watching the video feeds. Time in the videos was compressed. It wasn't like sitting and watching a movie of all the hours in question. The video surveillance system cycled through different cameras throughout the store and then it only recorded snippets of actual time or short segments from each view.

The operator could focus on a particular camera if they saw something suspicious. Otherwise, we could simply load all the footage from a particular camera and view the feed in compressed time.

The store was open twenty-four hours a day. There'd been a short period very early Friday morning when the store had been closed to prepare for the Black Friday holiday sale. The store had descended into chaos during the paroxysm of retail excess as the aisles were packed to capacity by shoppers. The influx of rabid consumerism had tapered off by the afternoon, but the store was still crowded until late that night.

We focused on the area around the women's changing room, the shoe department, and the office supplies, but we didn't see Dwyer in the Friday store footage. We moved onto the Thursday footage, and I knew quickly that we'd hit pay dirt once we moved into the mid-morning.

I immediately recognized Dwyer in the footage from the changing area camera. Obviously there were no camera feeds from inside the changing rooms, but there was an angle that clearly showed the approach to the front of the changing area.

"That's her," I said, pointing her out to Courtney.

"Yes, that man with the curly hair and the mustache is with her... See, they're talking in that shot. It almost looks like there's a family resemblance..."

"Our records say her biological father is dead, but what we have left was reconstructed from backup files that were salvaged from Longmont. They aren't always accurate. Maybe an uncle?"

"I don't know..." Courtney murmured. "They seem pretty familiar for being together for such a short time. If we can get a copy of this footage, we can run it through a facial recognition protocol and try to figure out who he is. That could give us a name and address. If they checked out with a credit card, we've got them."

I nodded and turned to Tony. "I need this segment downloaded as evidence," and produced a flash drive memory stick to hand to him.

"Sure... Just let me set up the time markers, and I can copy the segment for you..."

Suddenly Courtney seemed agitated. "What's happening?! Is there a problem with the playback equipment?!"

I turned back to see what the problem was. It was immediately apparent to me. The screen was rapidly dissolving into static and a jumble of chaotic images flipping across the screen.

"Here, let me take a look at that..." Tony said.

"NO!" I roared at him. "Download the clip! Did you get it?"

"What...? I'm sorry, I never even plugged in the memory stick yet..." He said, sounding contrite. "Let me clear up the screen, and then I'll get it..."

I wanted to scream at him! He was just doing his job, but he was too complacent and trusting in the technology. I knew it was too late. The screen didn't clear up until hours of footage later. When he tried to find the segment we'd been viewing when we saw Dwyer and the man she was with, there was nothing there. The video had been erased.

We waited for a while to see if Tony could pull the file from the backup tapes, but they were corrupted too. There were similar gaps in several other camera views. I gave him my contact information so he could call us if he had any luck with the video, but I didn't hold out any hope that he'd be able to do anything with it.

James and Laurent were waiting for us when we went back out to the parking lot to find them. I climbed into the back of the big black Mercedes sedan, practically fuming at the lost opportunity that had slipped through our fingers.

I turned to James. "Any luck?"

"We got a hit that a wireless communication store in the strip mall across the parking lot, same timing as the hits inside Walmart. They probably went there the same day as they shopped here. What'd you two come up with?" James asked.

"She was here with a man, thirty-something, brown hair, mustache, maybe a family resemblance..."

"That's pay dirt, if we run his picture through the computer, we can see if we get any hits..."

"No such luck... Our ghost must have thought of the same thing. All of the footage for the times she was on camera on the date in question was erased as soon as we found them. We know what he looks like, but not with enough clarity for the vision to be useful for anything unless we get lucky and can pick him out of a mug shot book. It's a dead end now, unless he has a police record."

"Ok," James said with a nod. "I didn't follow up on the lead at the wireless company, yet. I assume this guy she was with either did something with his phone, or got her one too..."

Courtney perked up at that news. "If he got her a phone, and we knew the number, we could track her. If the phones turned on, just knowing her phone number will put us within twenty-five feet of her current location."

"Ok, we need to handle this with kid gloves... The ghost may not even know we're onto her. They could have left the instruction to wipe the video as a booby trap. It may not mean they have us under surveillance. I'll relay the request for information about the cell phone through HQ and have Renata try to retrieve the intelligence. That could take some time, but it's a lock on her location if it's successful."

"Fine," James said. "So what's our next move then while we wait for the ghosts to fight it out, and we wait to hear if she can figure out how to find her?"

"We'll follow up on our earlier plan to do this the old fashioned way. We search Port Townsend, and then work our way south through the small towns on this side of the sound."

James nodded. We could cruise through these neighborhoods with the window rolled down, and James would get enough sensory data to determine if we needed to stop and follow up on a lead. He was good enough to know if she'd been in a town and walked around on the street like that. Besides, we were still following up on leads for other mutants and enhanced humans in the local vicinity as well. There was no telling when we might get lucky.

"You heard the lady," James said, turning to Laurent. "Let's roll. We can be in Port Townsend in an hour. Three hundred million Americans are counting on us to keep them safe from the bogeyman. Let's go hunting!"

Laurent nodded and we drove out of the Walmart parking lot. It was a about a forty minute ride to Port Townsend, west around Discovery Bay, and the north up highway twenty into the town. Port Townsend was a fairly large community as small towns went. There was an airport, two marinas, a ferry terminal for the ferry out to Whidbey Island and all of the local businesses that you'd expect in a small city.

We cruised around the community, crisscrossing the grid of city streets as we searched. I wouldn't say James exactly hung his head out the window, sniffing the breeze like a panting dog, but he always put me in mind of that as he tried to pick up the track of our quarry. He sat close to the open window with his eyes closed and let the flow of air from the town wash over his face as he reached out with his senses to try and pick the elusive scent out of the air.

"Slow down," James commanded as we drove down the street. We were in a residential neighborhood, close to a city park.

James opened his eyes, scanning the terrain as he sniffed the air. "Turn right at the corner..."

Laurent nodded, turning at the corner, and I could almost see the trail start to form in his mind. I could see how the markers stood out from baseline human scent to him, and hinted at an altered pattern of DNA in the targets genetics.

"I've got a track," James said.

"Is it Dwyer?" I asked.

"No. Enhanced human, though, strong markers in the scent track, several deviations from baseline human. Male, Caucasian, sixteen to twenty... I know this scent..." James was typing on his laptop, running a search.

"Bingo, he's on the watch list, Mark Gardner, associated with a terrorist cell in LA, last year. His group tried to attack a federal building for publicity, but they were stopped before they did much damage, they fled before being apprehended. The story was given to the media as an attack by a radical militia group. He's wanted for questioning. He's militant in the mutant underground as an organizer, trying to drum up support to drive the movement into the public spotlight."

"What's he doing in Washington then?" Courtney asked.

"Why don't we ask him when we catch him?" I suggested. "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say he's hiding and trying to organize the local mutant and enhanced human population to try and garner support for his movement. With all the cataloging and tagging we've been going in Seattle, we've been stirring up a lot of trouble. It's like turning on the light in a filthy kitchen and watching all the cockroaches scuttle for cover. He probably got out of town until things settle down again."

"Nice, he just bailed on his people and left them to take the heat while he lays low?" Courtney asked.

I shrugged. "The movement is a few dissatisfied, isolated individuals so far. The whole concept of a mutant underground is very embryonic at best at this point. There are a few isolated groups that are trying to organize support. Very few of these people realize what's really going on or are aware enough of events around them to think it's a problem. Most of these people that have abilities realize they're different enough that they need to stay hidden. Most of them think they're unique and have a special ability that nobody else has. A community is forming as they discover each other and interact.

"It's the few individuals like this Mark Gardner who are the real danger. If they can organize enough support, they can turn this rabble rousing into a movement and cause real trouble for us."

"Fine, so what's our play then?" James asked.

"He's wanted for questioning. Let's question him. Track him, and we'll take him down. I'll call Langley for instructions once we have him in custody."

James smiled and turned to Laurent. "Stop the car. I need to track him on foot. The scent trail crosses the park…"

Laurent pulled over and James got out. "Circle the park to the other side. I'll relay directions. Follow me, and we'll see where this trail leads. Once I know where he's hold up, we can surround him and move in." Then James turned away and jogged into the park.

Laurent followed his instructions, following the road around the park.

_Track leads into the basketball courts… He's been hanging out here… Out of the park now… One of these houses close by…_

"Turn left when you get to the basketball courts. James has left the park. Cruise up the street," I relayed to Laurent.

_Up here… Blue two story house on the right… More trails… There are more of them here… Not home now, though… in school…?_

I saw the house James had shown me in his mind up the street.

"Pull over to the curb," I told Laurent. "The big blue two story house on the right, his track leads there. James has more tracks, more enhanced humans, but they aren't home now. He thinks they might be in school."

_Going over the fence into the backyard… _

I could see the scene unfold through James eyes. He hopped the fence and landed in the backyard. He started to approach the house. The guy had to have some sort of enhanced senses, or an early warning system of some sort. Either that or James was having a really off day. He was typically very stealthy and had no trouble sneaking up on people.

The guy was standing at the back window and saw James in the yard. He stepped to the sliding glass door to see what the hell was going on.

_Hey, who are you? What are you doing in the yard?_ The guy yelled.

James tried to approach him and put him at ease. _I'm from Seattle… They said I could find you here… Tony sent me…_

_Tony didn't send you! Who the hell are you?!_

The guy was already backing off and moving toward the gate. James pulled his pistol to try and take him. _Freeze! Drop to the ground and keep your hand where I can see them!_

_Goddamn it, how the hell did you find me?! _It was a rhetorical question. He had no intention of stopping, slowing down, or giving up.

_Shit…! He's made me… He's rabbiting… Circle the block…! He's heading for the trees…!_

"He's running! Circle the block and cut him off!" I ordered Laurent.

We got around to the cross street in time to see him come over the fence. He was tall and wiry with curly brown hair and wire rimmed glasses. Jeans, sneakers, hooded sweatshirt, he looked nineteen or twenty years old. He cleared the fence without appearing to have even touched it. His feet were a good four feet over the top of the fence when he went over it. He was moving towards the next wooded strip fast.

His feet barely touched the ground, and he was moving faster than he was running. The act of running was what his mind thought he needed to do to move fast, but it was likely unnecessary to the actual act of movement, given his ability.

James was hot on his heels, tracking him in full hunter mode now. He was galloping on all fours as he grabbed the ground in front of him with his powerful hands and arms to throw himself forward in hot pursuit of his prey. His powerful legs drove him forward in a motion reminiscent of a large jungle ape as he chased him, faster than was humanly possible. It was obvious he wasn't quite human in instances like this when he let the beast loose to hunt.

The kid realized we were chasing him too when Laurent accelerated up the street towards him. He glanced at us, and then reached out with his hand. He gestured, and a parked car suddenly swerved into the road in front of us, blocking our path. Laurent narrowly missed hitting it, but we were forced to slow down, and then the kid and James disappeared into the trees.

"What the hell was that?!" Courtney exclaimed in shock. She was torn between how the car had been thrown in front of us and how James had looked chasing the kid.

I chose to answer the question about our quarry. "He's a mover. He has telekinetic powers and can move things with his mind. If this turns into a fight, he'll be able to deflect your bullets, or even shield himself, depending on how powerful he is."

"Ok…" She calmed down and her mind started working again. "I thought you said Laurent could shut down his powers?"

"We have to get close enough. A block and a half away from a moving car is too far away. If we can corner him, he's history, like yesterday's news."

Courtney nodded as she checked her pistol, and Laurent accelerated up the street to catch up.

_I'm going to try and push him toward the coast..._ James thought. We shared enough of a bond after all these years that I heard him. _Circle around to the north to cut him off... He'll try to fight if he's cornered... Get into position to shut him down..., and then he's toast..._

_Don't kill him, _I projected to him. _We need to call this in, and I have something else in mind._

I felt James grumble, but he didn't balk. He knew it was part of the job, but he didn't like giving up his prey once he had them cornered.

"Circle around to the north. James is going to try and drive him to the coast. We need to be ready to shut him down when he drives him to us."

Laurent nodded without speaking. We'd done this enough times over the years that he knew the drill. I saw him glance at the map on the GPS, and then he turned right towards the coastline.

_He's going to try and cut west to get away... I'm going to cut him off... Once I force him to turn east..., he'll be caught between the coast... the lake at the Chinese gardens... Set up the sting at the edge of the State Park... He'll try to lose me in the trees..._

"Head into the State Park. James is going to drive him east between the coastline and the lake at the Chinese gardens."

Laurent nodded and went where I told him, glancing at the map screen, and then turning at the next intersection to drive towards where we planned to lay our ambush.

The gap between the lake and the coastline was still a thousand feet wide, but half of it was open field, and we knew he'd want to get into the cover of the trees right away. That meant if we picked our spot carefully, he'd come right to us.

Our advantage in this situation was Gardner's overconfidence. Sure, he was running, but he probably assumed he was doing that to avoid a fight. He wanted to get away without causing a scene, and he probably didn't want to hurt us.

Laurent skidded to a stop and we piled out of the car. "Stay close to me, Courtney," I said as she started to move off to spread out and put distance between us. "This should be over quickly. We don't want him to stop to fight. If he thinks he can blow past us, he'll get close enough for Laurent to shut him down."

Courtney nodded and moved back to stand beside me as I drew my pistol and checked it to make sure it was ready to use.

"Courtney, I'm expecting you to do your duty and follow orders this time. This is a matter of National Security and we're going to do whatever our superiors order us to do. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Courtney replied as she drew her pistol to check it.

I looked around, surveying the lay of the land. There was a large open area between the lake and the tree line of the State park along the coast. Gardner would have to get past us to move back into the trees. Our car was parked on the edge of the road that skirted the State park.

"Laurent, move into the trees so he doesn't see you right away. We'll drive him towards you when he comes past the lake. Shut him down as soon as he gets close enough."

Laurent just nodded and moved silently away to comply with my orders. He didn't like me. He didn't like what we did or what we forced him to do, but he did it regardless because we'd done everything for his family that we'd promised, and they were still alive and happy because he did what we told him to do. It was easy to get people to do what you wanted when you knew which buttons to push.

We didn't have to wait long.

_He's at the edge of the tree line…_

Suddenly Gardner blew out of the trees into the open. He was between the coast and the lake, and I could see in his mind that he thought it wasn't possible for him to cross the water. He still thought he was running, although his feet weren't even touching the ground as he ran.

James was hot on his heels, but I knew he was holding back, driving him to us like the hounds driving the prey to the hunters. He probably could have run him down in time; James was good at this, and it was what he did, but it was time to end this.

Courtney and I were blocking him from circling around the lake to head back into town. He had to get past us to get back into the trees to keep running.

I raised my pistol and aimed it at him. "Federal agents! Freeze, drop to the ground and lay down!" I ordered.

I knew he was going to ignore my order, but I had to give him the option to surrender. It was how we played the game.

"Leave me alone! I don't want to have to hurt you!" Gardner yelled back.

That was his problem. He didn't understand the mechanics of power. I didn't want to have to hurt him either if I didn't have too, but I was willing to use all the tools in my arsenal and do anything necessary to accomplish my mission.

"Take him down," I said so Courtney could hear me.

We opened fire as Gardner came into pistol range. Courtney followed her orders and shot at him. I shot too. I should have killed him at this range, I spent a decent enough amount of time on the pistol range, and Courtney and I were both qualified as pistol marksman in our respective units.

None of the shots hit him.

Most of them should have.

I could hear the ricochets as the bullets impacted an irresistible force and spanged off target. There were sparks as they impacted in mid-air and reddish flashes of energy that faded to gold in a ripple effect as the bullets hit something before careening off on a tangent without hitting Gardner.

The bullets had the desired effect though. Gardner turned away from us heading for the tree line where Laurent was waiting.

Laurent stepped out of the trees. He didn't try to shoot. He didn't even have a gun in his hand. He didn't even speak.

Gardner raised his hands like he was going to do something. I knew in his mind's eye, he envisioned Laurent being swept aside out of his path as he ran past us into the trees…

Nothing happened. There was a moment of perplexed conjecture in his mind as he wondered what power Laurent had that prevented him from moving him. It was the only thought he had time for.

Suddenly his feet were touching the ground, but he was moving far too fast to be running. His momentum carried him forward as he stumbled and fell, face planting in the grass, and then tumbling forward head over heels to land in a heap at Laurent's feet.

He was still breathing but he was stunned and blacked out for a moment. I was sure he probably had broken bones from the pain radiating off his mind.

James didn't kill him, but he didn't like me stopping him from finishing off the prey he was tracking. The hunt was supposed to end with the kill in his mind. He wasn't gentle when he flipped Gardner over and cuffed him. The pain shocked him awake, but Laurent was suppressing his powers so he couldn't break free or escape.

"Put him in the car," I instructed James. "Stay close to Laurent so he stays in the shadow."

James just growled, but he picked up Gardner like a sack of potatoes and hauled him to the car. I could hear sirens in the distance and I didn't want to have to deal with the local police. Even if they accepted our badges and believed that we really were federal agents, chances were they'd want to take him to the hospital, and Laurent would likely be separated from him while the doctors allowed him to escape once he was treated.

James manhandled Gardner into the back seat of the car, and then got into the driver seat. James drove this time while I got into the passenger seat. Courtney got into the back seat with Laurent and Gardner sitting between them in the middle.

"Drive back to the house," I said. "That's as good a place as any for this. We can start questioning him and wait for the others to show up or come home."

~MTH~

Gardner didn't really tell us much more than we already knew, once we go back to the house. I was able to confirm his involvement in the attack on the federal building and get a line on his movements since. I was correct in my assumption that he'd been trying to set up and militant radical group in Seattle, but had fled into hiding when we showed up. He hadn't been in contact with Dwyer, though. He didn't even know who she was, although he suspected what she was capable of from stories he'd heard circulating around the underground elements he associated with.

None of the other enhanced humans living in the house were classified as dangerous and none of them were on our watch lists. We detained them as they arrived and held them in another room while we questioned Gardner, but I knew we weren't going to get anything else useful from him.

Courtney was upstairs watching the other detainees. Laurent was suppressing Gardner's abilities while James questioned him and I read the thoughts running through his head in response to the questions. I knew we were about done here when my phone rang.

I stepped into the other room to take the call. I'd called Langley for instruction on the Gardner case while we were still in the car driving back to the house. I assumed this call would provide instruction on how to proceed.

The call was brief. I put my phone away, and opened the door to call James.

He walked out of the room seconds later. "Go upstairs and send Courtney down here," I instructed James. "And don't go into the room. You aren't touching any of them. We'll have Laurent wipe them before we leave, and they won't have any reason to believe we were ever here. You aren't going to leave any physical evidence to screw that up."

"Fine, Vic," James grumbled, but I knew he'd obey. He'd gotten to get out and run and hunt today, and even if he hadn't gotten to kill Gardner when he took him down, it was enough for him to run him to ground, even if Laurent had helped.

James walked away and Courtney showed up minutes later.

"James said you sent him to relieve me and that you wanted to speak with me?" Courtney asked.

"We're almost done here. I heard back from headquarters. They're sending a cleanup team to retrieve Gardner. They should be here in a few minutes."

"Ok…" Courtney said. "What do you need me to do?"

"Prep him for transport…" I reached into my purse and handed her the silencer.

"What?! You want me to…!"

"…Do you duty. You were ready to shoot him in the park this afternoon. He's been classified as a threat and an order to terminate with extreme prejudice has been authorized by our superiors."

"He was running in the park and attempting to escape! You expect me to walk in there and shoot an unarmed prisoner while he's helpless and handcuffed to a chair…?"

"I expect you to do your duty and follow your orders, Lieutenant Scott. The only reason we're holding him is Laurent suppressing his abilities. Once he's out of Laurent's shadow he'll escape and become an even greater threat to National Security. Two slugs behind the ear will turn him off like a light and eliminate the threat."

"We could drug him…"

"That's not my call. You have your orders, Lieutenant."

Her mind was torn over the ethical dilemma. She knew it was wrong, but she had a strong sense duty. Doing the right thing, her morality and ethical sense were at odds with her sense of duty, her oath and her desire to follow her superior's orders.

I didn't try to influence her decision. In the end it was no real decision at all. She'd taken an oath and duty told her to follow her orders. You didn't end up as a commissioned officer in a sensitive position by questioning authority.

She took the silencer from me and walked into the room…

There were two rapid thuds in quick succession. It was like the sound of a thick telephone book being dropped on a linoleum floor. Not completely silent like they showed in movies and TV, I could hear it through the closed door, but they didn't sound like gunshots and the neighbors wouldn't think anything out of the ordinary had occurred if they heard it. I doubt the kids upstairs knew what it was if they heard it.

Courtney and Laurent walked out of the room.

"What's next?" Courtney asked, glancing upstairs apprehensively. She was still holding the smoking gun in her hand. I knew she'd balk if I ordered her to eliminate the rest of them, but I couldn't blame her. The rest were essentially innocents.

"After the cleaner team picks up Gardner, Laurent will wipe their memories of this evening and we'll leave."

Courtney nodded and returned the silencer when it was cool enough to touch.

The nondescript van pulled into the driveway a few minutes later. Laurent showed the team where to find Gardner and they got to work. Courtney, Laurent and I searched the rest of the house, but there was nothing to find besides Gardner's journal and some personal effects. We bagged them up and sent them with the cleaner team.

Laurent wiped the memories of the other detainees and we left them asleep upstairs as we left and drove out of Port Townsend. We cruised through a few more towns south along the western edge of the Olympic Peninsula that evening, but we didn't get any more hits before we decided to find a hotel and call it a night.

We made it as far south as Bainbridge Island before stopped for the day.

Laurent drove to the BP gas station convenience store to fill up with gas so we wouldn't have to stop on the way to the hotel. We passed another big black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows driving into the gas station as we drove out of the gas station. I was surprised to see another car like that out here, but there were only two minds in the car, a father and daughter on their way to the local high school wrestling meet to watch their son and brother compete.

I ignored them as I considered the events of the evening. We'd come so close to getting solid leads on Dwyer today. It was like she was close enough for me to reach out and take her, but she kept eluding my grasp through pure dumb luck.

**Author's note:**

I know this is kind of late. Things have been kind of hectic with cub scouts and the beginning of summer. We did our pinewood derby last week and have more events coming up over the summer. I volunteered for a leadership position so we could keep the program my grandson is in going, otherwise they were going to shut the program down. I wanted the boys to have the opportunity to participate in scouting, so now I'm running our local pack.

I'll keep posting updates, but things may be erratic for a while.

Reviews are always appreciated. I read them all, even if I don't respond to them. Reviews let me know what you're thinking, and I anticipate every notification that pops up in my email.


	20. Bainbridge

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer & Stephen King.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 20 Bainbridge

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you. We'll talk some more later. Tell Alice I said hi._" The line went dead as Rosalie ended the call. _

_I closed the phone and stuck it back in my purse as I walked back into the wrestling room to meet Alice._

_Continued from the end of Chapter eighteen..._

Alice finished with Esme and the cheerleaders and came over to meet me. "Sorry I took so long, are you ready to go?" Alice asked. She started for the stairs and we walked back out to the parking lot together.

"Sure, so what exactly are we going to do for the next three hours? It won't really take us that long to get to the wrestling meet, right?"

"We can do what we usually do after school, hang out and go out for coffee, but I had something else in mind for this afternoon. I can finally show you what I really usually would do after school before you got here."

"Ok... That's fine as long we make it to the wrestling meet on time, I guess that's ok..."

"Don't worry, Bella, I won't get you into any trouble..."

"Isn't that what somebody usually says right before the trouble starts?"

"Yep, that's usually how it works. Seriously though, we'll just hang out for a while, and then we have to pick up Rose and Carlisle before we go to dinner. Then it's off to the wrestling meet."

"Ok, that sounds like a plan."

Alice seemed to hesitate for a minute, and then plunged ahead. "So Rose had the talk with you..."

"Jeez! Are all of you guys connected or something? It's like all of you know everything each other is doing, all the time!"

"Umm... Rose is kind of like our communication network. She monitors each of us and keeps us up to date on current events. You talked to her on the phone… you know what that's like. She can have multiple conversations going on simultaneously."

"How is that even possible, Alice?"

"Miracle of modern technology? Hell I don't know... How do you create a solid barrier out of thin air? I don't know the mechanics, I just know it works."

"Fine, but it's a little freaky. I'm used to the whole no privacy thing with a mind reader around, but it's like all of you hear every word that I speak..."

"Umm... Rose does. At least she does if she's monitoring somebody, and you're on the top of her list right now."

"How..."

"Cell phones mostly. Even if yours is turned off, chances are somebody else within earshot will have one, and just because it's turned off doesn't always stop her. There's probably more than a dozen in any given room in the school all day long. Anything Edward doesn't catch in somebody's thoughts, Rose will likely pick out of a conversation. It really helps to keep us safe. Edward can make anyone who suspects anything about us forget about it. Like I said, we're all safer working together."

"Sure, all you have to do is give up every shred of privacy you ever might have had and live in a glass house."

Alice shrugged. "I didn't have any secrets to begin with, and it's better than living on the run and constantly looking over your shoulder. This is the most freedom I've ever had, and I like it. It'll grow on you if you give it a chance."

I nodded as we walked up to Alice's Porsche. She used the remote to unlock the doors and I got into the passenger seat.

"You know," Alice said as she turned the key, "This is the first car I ever actually bought. I can't count how many I've stolen over the years. I'd just borrow one whenever I needed one and leave it on the street with the keys in the ignition when I was done with it, but this one is mine. Of course I can't say I earned all the money either, but picking up loose cash has never been a problem for me."

"Loose cash…? can't say I've ever tripped over a pile of money lying in the middle of the sidewalk."

Alice shrugged again. "If I see a picture of a place I can be in that place. You'd be amazed how many banks publish pictures of the inside of their vaults. Most of my money comes from investments now, but I made my first million as a clerical error."

"A clerical error? How does that work?"

"I'd pop into a bank vault while they were closed and lighten their load for them. I wouldn't clean them out so they'd think they'd been robbed or anything. The amounts were small enough that most of the time they'd think it was a counting error or a problem with their books. Some of them thought it was employee theft when they finally ruled out accounting errors."

"So you're a car thief and a bank robber?"

"Girl's gotta survive somehow. I never took very much, just enough to get by."

"A million dollars seems like a lot to me. I've done some crazy shit to survive, but banks? Don't they have security cameras?"

"Oh, c'mon, don't pull that holier than thou attitude with me. You've been on the run for the last few years. Don't tell me you never borrowed a car or came into cash you didn't earn the old fashioned way. So maybe you didn't rob any banks or knock over any convenience stores, but isn't it kind of the same thing when you make the cashier give you back more change than you paid for something, or make them believe the piece of paper in your hand is money? Your mom was a pusher. She might not have been as powerful as Edward, but we all know the tricks. We've all used our powers to get by and survive."

"Yeah... I guess I was lucky I was with Renee or I'd have a bigger body count. Her ability relied on finesse and getting people to agree. I would have needed to use more brute force to get what I needed to survive without her. She dealt with the public, and I got us out when the bad guys caught up to us. So, where are we going for coffee?"

I was curious where we were going. Alice was driving through town, but she was driving away from what I would have considered the business district. The houses became fewer and further between and there were large stretches of forest and open lots. I knew we weren't going to any of the places in town, but she wasn't headed for the highway out of town.

"Ok, now... Don't freak out and pop your shield. Just relax..."

Reality twisted.

There was the sound of fabric ripping and the scent of ozone in the air.

Suddenly we were driving down an urban street in a much more metropolitan city than Forks. It looked like a back alley in a residential neighborhood with tall three and four story tenement buildings on either side. Alice got to the corner and pulled out of the alley onto a busier four lane city street. I could see a traffic light on every intersection ahead of us, and the busy urban sounds of the big city were all around us.

"Holy crow! You jumped the whole car? While we were driving? Are you insane! What if somebody was stopped in front of us!"

"That's why I told you not to freak out or pop your shield. The car has to be moving for me to jump it. I wouldn't be able to budge it if it was parked. I would have jumped us back if there was anything in the way. I do this all the time Bella. I've got this under control."

"Seems an awful lot like Russian roulette to me... Where the hell are we, anyhow?"

"Seattle. There's a Starbucks up here at the Pike Place Market. We can have coffee, and then browse through the market for a while, maybe hit the mall or some downtown boutiques..."

"Alice! Seattle is a three hour drive from Forks!"

"Don't worry, Bella. We have plenty of time. School's not even out yet, and the meet won't start until at least six or seven. Sometimes they don't finish weigh ins until after seven. Esme will text me before it starts. We have time to get coffee, hang out and browse around for a while, and then you'll be in Bainbridge before you know it."

"That's what I'm worried about..."

"I've got this under control, Bella. I've been jumping like this since before I could walk. I know what I'm doing."

"Ok, fine. Umm... If you don't mind me asking, Edward told me the truth about how he ended up with the Cullen's. I get the whole group home for wayward teen's thing is totally a cover. How much of what you told me was the truth about how you managed to end up living with them?"

"I told you I'd tell you anything. I don't mind you asking. Most of it was the truth. I just left out some of the details. My early life is kind of blacked out to me... I know I'm originally from Biloxi, Mississippi, and I have a sister, but I don't remember a lot about my family. I know they were all normal and my abilities totally freaked them out. I've been able to piece parts of it together from records and stories I've heard. They thought there was something wrong with me, and took me to doctors to try and cure me..."

"Oh my god! That's horrible! That's would be like raising a red flag for all the divisions..."

"Well, I guess I lucked out on that account. The doctors they took me to just thought I was nuts. I refused to use my ability in front of them, and then they had me so whacked out of my skull on drugs and hypnotic hallucinogens that I didn't even know if I was using my power or not. The shock therapy blacked out most of my early life and childhood. Eventually I guess I jumped out of there and was gone long enough to burn the drugs out of my system until I could function again. I left and never looked back. I was on my own until Jasper found me."

"So the part about how you and Jasper met was the truth?"

"Yeah, I ran afoul of a group of Paladins. You think The Shop and the divisions are bad... At least they want to capture us and study us, maybe even recruit some of us. The Paladins are hunters, and they just want us all dead.

"They started off as an offshoot of the Templars during the crusades, and they've made it their mission in life to hunt down anyone with abilities and kill them. They used to think we were demons or possessed by the devil. I don't know why they hunt us now, but they still do. They've been hunting jumpers for centuries, but they aren't picky about who they kill, and they have technology that can shut down my powers or even follow me through a jump if they're fast enough."

"What happened?"

"I didn't even know they were hunting me, but they'd tracked me back to a townhouse I was renting in Philadelphia. They ambushed me and we fought. I took out a couple of them, but I was hurt and tried to make a run for it. They used their machines to shutdown my powers and had me locked down. They were about to finish me off when Jasper showed up. They've got a thing for knives... I guess it goes back to their roots as medieval knights or something. Anyhow, their leader was about to stab me to finish me off and Jasper pulled the knife out of his hand. He fought them off and got me out of there."

"Ok, so then you went to find Carlisle and Esme?"

"Yeah, it was a good move for us. Things have been very good for us since we joined them."

"I can't imagine even being in a relationship like what you and Jasper share. I've never felt like that for anyone."

"You didn't hesitate to save Edward this morning."

"I wasn't going to just let him die. I would have done the same thing for a complete stranger, Alice."

Fine, I can't say I'd save a complete stranger in the same situation, but that's just me. You can't tell me you don't have feelings for him. I saw you two together on Saturday. You know there's something there, Bella."

"Ok, I'll accept that. I'm not the kind of girl who's going to make out with somebody I don't feel something for. I'll be the first to admit this is completely new to me, and I don't have the first clue what I'm doing, but I can't say I'm in love with him yet, Alice.

"Don't worry, Bella, you'll get there, and then you'll know just how wonderful it is."

Alice pulled into the parking lot for Starbucks, and we got out of the car. It was really a nice quaint little neighborhood, and I could see the rest of the Pike Place Market. I was surprised that the plaque on the door said this was the first Starbucks store. There were just so many of them anymore; it seemed surprising that it had all started here.

"I don't know that I'll live long enough to fall in love with anybody, Alice."

"You're going out with Edward on Saturday. Give him a chance, and who knows what might happen."

Alice pushed open the door and we walked inside. I was a little flabbergasted, and the door almost hit me. I scrambled to push it open and followed her inside. It was early in the afternoon, and the store was remarkably uncrowded. We stood back looking over the menu for a minute while the barrista helped the customers ahead of us.

"Alice! How did..."

"Between what you know about me and Rose, do you even have to ask.? You're going out with him on Saturday, right?"

"Yes?"

"You two are totally made for each other, Bella. You just have to give it a chance. I may not have a lot of statistics like Rose, but I could see how you were looking at him Saturday night."

I knew I was totally blushing bright red. "Why are you and Rose so intent on playing match maker, Alice?"

"We could wait for months and months for the two of you to decide you like each other, but like you say, we don't have all the time in the world. You're going to see each other every day at school and you know you're going to end up spending a lot of time together, whether you're dating or not. Why beat around the bush and put off the inevitable?"

"Inevitable? You make it sound like a forgone conclusion that we're going to end up together. Have you seen something? Don't I get any say in the matter?"

"You like him right?"

"So you haven't seen it. He does come off as a little arrogant and know it all, but I'll admit I'm attracted to him..."

"I've seen you two on a date. I know you're going to hang out with my family a lot. You do realize we're all safer if we stick together and watch each other's backs. You can come with us the next time we move, even if you don't want to live with us. If we make it out of high school alive, we'll probably all do college together next. You're a single girl, He's a single guy, you do the math."

"Fine, I get it..."

The customer ahead of us finished and collected their coffee and left the counter. Alice and I stepped up to the counter and ordered. I was prepared to pay for my own drink, but Alice handed the barista her credit card and told her they were together before I could even take out my wallet. We got our drinks, and Alice led me back to quiet corner where we could talk privately as long as we were quiet.

"There's no telling when The Shop, The Paladins, some other hunter group, or one of the divisions is going to stumble on to us, and then we'll all be running for our lives again. We're pushing the odds now, staying in one place for so long and settling down to live like normal people. You need to take advantage of the situation while you can. I say go for it, and grab just as much happiness as you can while it lasts. It'll get you through the tough times when we're all running again."

"What if I decide I want to try happy with Jacob instead of Edward?"

"You're just saying that so you have options. You don't really want to date him."

"What's wrong with options? Jacob's a nice guy. Edward's totally hot but a little arrogant. He knows about all of my baggage, and he still wants to go out with me, but I don't really know either of them very well. I can't get to know them if I don't give them a chance. I'm going out with Edward on Saturday. I have a date with Jacob on Friday night, Alice."

"I know you don't want to hear it, but there are things you don't know about Jacob Black, Bella."

"So there's something going on in La Push. I figured that out when Sam Uley told me to stay away and to leave Jacob alone. Sam knew about me. I'm guessing the Quileute's have something to hide. From what Charlie told me about their legends, I'm guessing they're shape shifters or something. I assume he knows about all of you too?"

"Ok, so you figured out the Quileute angle. Yeah, Sam knows about us, but that wasn't what I meant. There are things you don't know about Jacob Black in particular..."

"We've already discussed this, Alice. Let me make my own mistakes my way."

"Fine, but don't say I didn't try to warn you. So, what are you going to wear Saturday?"

"I don't know... It's Monday afternoon, for god's sake! I won't know what I'm going to wear tomorrow until I grab something to put on. I've got a week to think of something..."

"Ok... let me rephrase this... What are your options for something to wear on Saturday?"

"You know better than I do. You bought most of the clothes in my closet."

"I suppose I did," Alice said contemplatively.

"I'm not really sure what he has planned. I guess if we're just going to dinner and a movie, I'd just wear a nice pair of jeans and a sweater..."

"Unacceptable! I have a feeling that's what you're going to wear to school everyday."

"No... I wear t-shirts to school. I save the sweaters for nicer occasions..."

"And I suppose you were going to wear the sneakers too?"

"I have some flats..."

"Bella! You have to let me pick out your outfit!"

"Ok..., but nothing too far out in left field..."

"What you wore last Saturday was very nice. I was so proud of you."

"Fine," I sighed. "I was ok with that. I'm kind of getting used to the shoes at least, but I feel half naked in a skirt..."

"Less naked than you did Sunday afternoon?"

I blushed bright red. "Rose told you about that?"

"After everything that's happened today, you have to ask?"

"Why are you even speaking to me, Alice?"

"Because you're my best friend, and I'm willing to accept your lapses in judgment. Because I know things about Jacob Black that you won't allow me to tell you. Because I love you, and I'm still going to be there for you no matter what you ultimately decide to do about the guys in your life."

"Thank you, Alice..."

"Hey, you know what they say, 'a friend bails you out of jail. Your best friend is sitting there next to you in the cell saying, next time...' Just don't expect me to kiss him too. I'm not into threesomes."

"No... That would be a little too friendly. What did I ever do to deserve you, Alice?"

"You moved to Forks. The rest was destiny. Now finish your coffee, and then we can look through some of the shops here. I saw the cutest skirts the other day..."

"Alice, no... I can't let you go out and buy me more clothes."

"I'm not going to take no for an answer, Bella. If you like, you can pay me back when you get a job, or simply do something nice for me sometime, but we are finding you the perfect outfit to wear."

I nodded and drank my coffee. Alice could be a fiesty little thing when she got a full head of steam going. I didn't want to argue with her. We finished our coffees, and then went shopping. There were some amazing shops along the north side of the Pike Place Market. Some of then carried designer clothes at discount prices and we found some incredible bargains.

I ended up trying on clothes I never would have imagined myself wearing in a million years. Even more incredible was the fact that we were buying them to take home with us. I recognized some of the labels on the clothes I had in my closet, but these clothes still had the price tags on them and I practically fainted. I knew Alice was buying more than she told me, but she wasn't going to let me talk her out of it.

We ended up in a little boutique in downtown Seattle, trying on shoes that cost more than some people paid for the cars they drove. I let Alice pick out shoes for me to try on, but I couldn't imagine actually buying any of them.

It was getting late, and we had to get back to pick up Rose and Carlisle soon.

"Alice, we need to get back soon. We still have to pick up Rose..."

"Ok, I guess we're done for today," Then Alice turned to the salesman that had been waiting on us. "Go ahead and box them up. We'll take the burgundy heels and those black Mary Jane pumps." Then she looked back at me. "Did you like those open toed pumps? I think they'd look incredible with that skirt from that last boutique..."

"Alice, I can't..." I said with a horrified look on my face. Those shoes were eight hundred dollars...

Alice turned back to the salesman. "Box them up, and bring the tan heels too."

The salesman had a big grin on his face and nodded as he boxed up the shoes and carried them to the counter. I slipped back into my fifteen dollar Walmart sneakers and tied them while Alice walked to the counter and handed the salesman her credit card.

I was still kind of in shock as we left the shop with our bags to walk back to the car.

"Alice, you just spent over three thousand dollars on shoes! How am I ever going to pay you back for that?"

"You aren't, so just be gracious and say thank you and understand that I don't mind spending money on my friends. It's only money, and I have more than I'll ever spend in this lifetime. I might as well enjoy it while I can. I'm just happy to have somebody to take shopping. Rose goes with me sometimes, but it just isn't the same, shopping with her. She likes nice things, but it's just... not the same."

I just nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Fine, so Carlisle is a doctor. He must do pretty good, but even doctors don't spend like this. Isn't he going to go ballistic when he finds out how much money you spent today?"

"This isn't Carlisle's money Bella. I have my own accounts. This is my credit card, not one he gave me."

I had no idea why it would be different shopping with Rose, but I didn't ask. I was more curious about how she could do this and take me shopping like this.

"Your money? You're seventeen. You can't even play the lottery, so I know you didn't win it..."

"I play the stock market. Remember how I told you sometime I just know things, well it really pays off big time when you get a hunch about a particular stock or trend in the market. If you know what you're doing, you can make money whether the market's going up or down."

"Ok... But you're seventeen..."

"There's no age limit on buying or selling stocks. You can do it all anonymously online and nobody ever even sees your face or knows anything about you that you don't tell them. Rose had been managing Carlisle's stock portfolio for forever, before I came along. Now I manage their investments for both of them now. I can help you get started investing if you're interested."

"Umm... Ok... We might just have to do that..."

We walked back to the car and put our bags in the trunk. I didn't even want to think about the shoes in my closet back home. Now I knew how much a pair of these shoes cost, and some of the shoes Alice had brought over for me to wear had the same labels in them. I'd shied away from thinking about how much they cost when I thought each pair might have cost a hundred dollars or so. It was totally unconscionable to consider the worth when I knew I'd just been trying on an eight hundred dollar pair of heels and they were sitting in a box in the trunk.

We got in the car and Alice drove away from the market district. She turned down a deserted dead end alley and I knew what was going to happen.

Reality twisted.

There was the sound of fabric ripping and the scent of ozone in the air.

Suddenly we were driving down the driveway in front of the Cullens house. Alice pulled around to the garage and parked the car in the garage and pulled into parking space. The garage door was open in front of the mechanics bay, and my car was parked inside the open garage door.

I walked down to take a look when we got out of the car. The damage from the accident was gone. The fender looked perfect and pristine like there had never been any damage. The taillight was gone and the opening where the taillight assembly would go was empty.

Rose walked out of the house and came over to where I was looking at the car.

"So, what do you think?" Rose asked.

"It's perfect. You did this? Thank you. There's no way a body shop could have fixed it this good, this fast."

"Thanks," Rose said. "I didn't have time to do much more than just look at it until I came home from school..."

"You did all of this since the end of fifth period?"

Rose shrugged. "It wasn't that bad to begin with. I just got the last coat of paint sprayed on before you showed up. I had to order the taillight assembly. It should be here tomorrow or Wednesday. You can ride to school with us until then."

I considered what she'd said, and then a thought struck me. I was spending the night, but we hadn't gone by my house to pick up any of my things. I didn't have any pajamas or toiletries, or clothes to wear to school tomorrow.

"Alice, we didn't pick up anything for me to wear to school tomorrow. I don't even have any pajamas. Charlie will be home by now, but he thinks we're in Bainbridge."

"Don't be silly, Bella. You have plenty of clothes here you can wear to school tomorrow," Alice said.

"I'm not wearing a silk skirt and eight hundred dollar heels to public high school, Alice."

"Why not? You wore them to dinner last Saturday night, and had no compunctions about kicking them off under the seat in the car. What's so different about wearing them to school?"

"It's completely different..."

"Fine. I should really dress you like that just to see what everyone says, but I'll be nice. I have more clothes here for you than what I've brought over to the house for you to wear. I'm sure you can find something that will meet with your approval here in your closet."

"My closet... I have a closet here at your house?"

"Of course, silly. It's in your bedroom.

"I have a bedroom?"

"Anytime you want to use it, it's yours."

"Ok... Are there pajamas in it too?"

"Alice has it fully stocked, Bella," Rose commented, "Although she tends more towards nighties than pajamas. You could always just wear what you were going to wear to bed Sunday night before Charlie interrupted you...

"Don't go there, Rose, if you're implying what I think you're implying..."

Rose shrugged. "Fine, I won't mention it. If you want to get naked and make out with a guy, that's totally your business, but have you noticed that you always tend to do more than you ever intended to do when you're with Jacob, and you don't seem to mind it at all when you're in the heat of the moment. Then when you have time to think about it, you have to say to yourself, what the fuck was I thinking?"

"Maybe that just means I like him more than I'm willing to admit..."

"And maybe it means he has a way to influence your feelings and lower your inhibitions when you're with him so you do things you wouldn't do otherwise."

"What are you trying to imply?"

"Nothing at all. We're not allowed to talk to you about Jacob. You want to make your own mistakes and find out the hard way. Just don't be surprised when you do make those mistakes. It's not like we didn't try to warn you. I don't really care who you sleep with as long as you end up in the right bed in the end when everything is all said and done.

"Heaven knows Emmett wasn't the first guy I was with. Not by any stretch of the imagination, and he isn't the only lover I've ever had, but our relationship is committed and exclusive now, and has been since we've known each other."

"So would you be warning me simply because warning me is the right thing to do, or would you be warning me because I'm going out with another guy and you'd prefer I was going out exclusively with Edward?"

"That is a dilemma. I'm afraid you're going to have to figure that one out all on your own."

"That so doesn't help, Rose."

She smirked. "I know. Isn't free will such a wonderful thing? Decision, decisions, whatever is the best choice? Who's trying to use you, and who has your best interests at heart? I'm willing to offer my opinion if you want it, but please understand that I'm biased and anything I tell you serves my interests."

"Thanks so much..."

"Always happy to be of service. Just let me know when you'd like my advice, and I'll be more than happy to offer my opinion."

~o~MTH~o~

We waited for Carlisle to arrive home, and then we took Carlisle's big black Mercedes sedan. Alice drove the four of us to a steak house in Chicago for dinner. The steaks were incredible and Alice just put it on her credit card again. Rose didn't even bother to order this time, and just pretended to sip her ice water for the benefit of the people at the other tables.

Alice ordered a petite cut off the menu. She probably could have ordered off the kids menu and wouldn't have finished it all, but they didn't have the variety of choices. Carlisle had a hearty appetite, but I ate enough for the three of us girls by myself.

We jumped to Bainbridge after dinner. Alice drove to the BP gas station convenience store to fill up with gas so we wouldn't have to stop on the way home.

We passed another big black Mercedes sedan with dark tinted windows driving out of the gas station as we drove into of the gas station. I was surprised to see another car like that out here, but we weren't that far from Seattle, and there were a lot of people there with the kind of money to afford a car like that.

I ignored them as I considered the events of the day and evening so far. There was still a lot to come. I got out and went into the convenience store to use the ladies room. I answered natures call, washed my hands and touched up my makeup before heading back out.

We all got back in the car and Alice drove us to the high school. All of the locals were getting there around the same time and Esme texted us that weigh ins were almost over. The people running the gate honored our activity passes so we didn't even have to pay to get in, and we walked into the gym.

We were the only people from Forks to come to the wrestling meet who weren't on the team or directly involved in the sports program. Carlisle went over to greet Esme, and gave her a hug and kissed her. He wasn't self-conscious at all about the PDA, but he didn't get carried away with it and make a public spectacle of himself.

We settled into the bleachers in the row above where the cheerleaders were camped out and waited for the wrestling meet to start.

There hadn't been any changes to the squad lineup from the previous wrestling meet. All of the guys were wrestling in the same weight classes.

This wrestling meet was a double dual and wasn't anywhere as long as the previous meet In Forks had been. There were only three wrestling squads and cheerleaders here from Forks, another school and the host school. They were ready to start wrestling by six, but the gym and cafeteria were occupied primarily with kids and parents and onlookers from the local community, come to cheer on somebody they knew who was participating in the tournament.

I was surprised how many people showed up to watch, given that it was a Monday night, but the community was small enough that most of the people in town knew who the wrestlers were and came to cheer them on, regardless of whether or not they were related to them.

"So how is this meet different from the tournament they held in forks last week, Alice?" I asked.

"There are only two other schools here for the meet tonight. We'll wrestle both of them individually for each of the fourteen weight classes. We'll face the home squad first, then the visiting schools will face off. The home school will face the other visitor last because we have to travel farther. They're letting us get done first so we can get on the road home earlier. We should be done and get out of here by nine-thirty tonight. If they keep things moving. Later if timings off and we have to take mandatory breaks."

I nodded, and went with Alice to go see the guys. We got down out of the bleachers and went to go talk to Edward, Jasper and Emmett. They were done with their warm up and were milling around waiting for the scoring table to call the first match.

Edward reached for my hand and leaned in and kissed my cheek when I walked up beside him. I felt goose bumps on my arms and butterflies in stomach fluttered giddily. I seriously liked Edward, despite my misgivings about why he liked me. I knew I had strong feelings for him that I could probably call love if I wanted to put a name to those feelings. I couldn't understand why I was so reluctant to just go for it and accept this for what it was.

The world seemed easier to deal with and I felt at peace when I was surrounded by his family. It was just so easy to fit in with all of them. I could see this being a long term thing and moving with them when they decided to move on and leave Forks. They were all planning to go to college, and I wanted to go to college too. It was part of my long term plan if I lived that long, and I knew my chances of survival were increased by being a part of the Cullen family. It was logical and seemed inevitable that Edward and I would be a couple if I stayed with them.

The major problem with this perfect picture was the dilemma I faced that made me hesitate. Couldn't I be just as happy with Jacob Black as I was with Edward and the Cullens? Was I making a mistake? I knew I had feelings for Jacob too, and if I was completely honest with myself, I felt a burning passion in my soul when I was with Jacob.

It would be so easy to be with Edward and have everything I'd ever wanted. I knew I had feelings for Edward that grew stronger the longer I knew him and spent time with him, but I had feelings for Jacob too. I wanted Jacob too, but I knew I couldn't love them both. I noticed Jasper looking in my direction, and I pushed those thoughts away. He couldn't read my mind, but he could read my emotions, and I knew he'd see my doubts and fears. I was with Edward now, and I focused on my relationship with him while I was with him. That was the fair thing to do. I knew I was going to have to make a decision soon, but it was so very hard to consider giving up either of them.

Edward was free until he got called for his match, and the coaches didn't mind him spending time with me until he had to wrestle. He'd have free time between matches while the other weight classes wrestled, but he'd need to start warming up a couple of matches before he was up. We could spend some time together until his coach called him.

We went for a walk and ended up at the concession stand out in the lobby after they sang the Star Spangled Banner and actually started the meet. There was a constant buzz of conversation going on around us, but the other people were intent on their own conversations and didn't pay much attention to us. I was pretty sure Edward had something to do with that, but I was used to speaking freely with him in class, and I assumed he'd let me know if somebody heard something they shouldn't.

"So, are you going to win? I asked

Edward shrugged. "I think I have a pretty fair shot. I beat the kid from Bainbridge last week, so I think I can take him again. The guy from Mt Baker took third at State last year."

"That's not what I meant, but is he any good?"

"He's ranked in the top five in the state this year, but I think I can take him."

I nodded, "But you could just win if you wanted to."

"I'm in pretty good physical condition, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I won't go down without a fight."

I tried not to ogle him, but he knew I was looking and smiled back at me. He wasn't hard on the eyes at all and was in much better than pretty good physical condition as far as I was concerned. His broad shoulders were definitely drool worthy and the individual muscles seemed to move with clockwork precision under his slightly glistening skin. It was distracting, watching him sit there in his singlet while we sat and sipped our drinks.

"You know what I mean. It doesn't really matter if he's ranked or not if you want to win bad enough. You could make him decide to lose…"

"That's an unfair advantage, and I'd like to think I'm above cheating like that. I participate in this sport to test my physical conditioning and skill with wrestling against my opponents. I don't just show up to win. I want to compete on as even a footing as I'm able to. If I win, I'd like to believe it's because I deserve to win. If I lose, then I'll congratulate my better, and work all the harder to beat him fair and square the next time we face off."

"So you're saying the destination isn't so important as the path you take to get there. The journey is the worthier endeavor…"

"Exactly, winning isn't everything. I won't use my special advantages simply to win. I'm in this for the physical competition and testing my physical prowess, not my mental ability, although, you have to be able to think on your feet to win."

"What about Jasper and Emmett? Does Emmett even have any competition in a sport like this?"

"They feel pretty much the same way as I do. Jasper has enough training to easily win any of these matches, and his abilities would make it easy even if he didn't hold multiple black belts in a variety of martial arts. He limits himself to a specific set of moves and holds to try and be fair to his opponents while still feeling competitive. Emmett on the other hand could easily win any match he's in."

"So why does he compete then? Does he lose on purpose sometimes, just to fit in?"

"Emmett likes to wrestle, and he spars with Jasper all the time at home. They're competition for each other. He still enjoys the mental discipline necessary to pick the right move to counter his opponent and make the correct choices. Rose keeps it interesting for Emmett, though. She runs a series of algorithms and analysis programs and decides which matches Emmett would win or lose if he had normal strength in proportion to his physique and training and the moves he chooses. He has a communication system built into his headgear so she can advise him of his progress and the effectiveness of his technique throughout the match. She doesn't let him know until the match is under way whether he's going to win or lose."

"And he abides by her decisions?"

"Any of us could win whenever we wanted to. It would be too easy and the accolades would pall over time. We find our own ways to make the competition interesting and a challenge. I simply refrain from using my abilities to their full extent and rely on my physical training and skill for the most part. Jasper refrains from using his ability and limits himself to a skill set of moves that are available to a high school wrestler. Emmett chooses his moves and executes them, and then accepts Rose's decision as to whether or not his strategy would lead to victory or not. Think of it like fantasy football in his case. He picks the strategy, and she lets him know if it's effective or not, except they do it in real time during the course of the match."

"Ok, so you try to play fair. What do you mean you refrain from using your abilities to an extent? You still have an advantage?"

"I can decide not to control my opponent's actions, but I still hear their thoughts. I know what they're going to try, and when they plan to do it. It's like they telegraph every move, but I can't help it. I hear everyone's thoughts around me the same way our ears hear sound. I can't not hear their thoughts, any easier than you could make your ears stop hearing."

"You want the match to be a fair test of skill, right? No powers, just you and the guy you're facing, one on one, right?"

"Ultimately, yes. I strive to achieve those conditions to the best of my ability."

"How about to the best of my ability? I can shield your opponent. You won't hear his thoughts or be able to control his actions, even subconsciously. You can wish he'd screw up and slip all you like, but you won't be able to make him slip. It would be the true one on one match up that you're looking for, just like any other guy here at the meet. I can't help Jasper or Emmett like this, but you wouldn't have any special advantages beyond what you've trained to do."

I realized what I was saying. I'd inadvertently performed this exact service for Edward last week without realizing I was even helping like this. I'd just wanted to be ready to step in and help if I had to. Now I knew I was helping if he wanted me to keep doing it.

"You would do that for me? I don't want you to strain yourself or anything..."

"It's no strain at all. It's as easy as breathing. I could almost do it in my sleep. Is it something you'd like me to do?"

"Alright, yes, please shield my opponents so I can't read or control them."

"Ok..."

"Last week, you did the same thing. I couldn't say anything them, but I was very glad you did it."

"Thank you..."

"If you didn't know about my ability then, why did you shield them?"

I blushed, but I knew I had to tell him. "I wanted to protect you from being hurt. I went ahead and shielded them so I could shut them down to stop them from hurting you if anything happened."

"Why would you shield them to protect me?"

"You'd know something strange had happened if I threw a force bubble around you to push them off. I figured they'd leave town and the story wouldn't be repeated. There was less chance of tipping you off to my abilities by shielding them and it was just as easy to protect you like that in a one on one match."

"So you did it to protect me. Thank you," Edward said with a smile.

I could feel the blush spread across my cheeks the way he was looking at me, but I liked it. I didn't mind Edward looking at me like that at all.

The officials had picked a weight class at random to start the meet, and then they went in order up through the classes after that. There were fourteen weight classes as we faced first one school and then the other, but each wrestler only wrestled his opponent from his weight class once in this sort of meet. They started at the one-ninety-five class and worked through the weight classes and held two matches at a time on two wrestling mats.

They started off with some JV or junior varsity matches first. The coaches designated some of the wrestlers as JV based on their performance during practice at school and their degree of ability and experience. There were some separate JV meets during the season, but not as many as the regular Varsity meets. Some of the JV kids traveled with the wrestling squad to these meets and the coaches arranged matches for them to get them more competitive experience.

They didn't fill all the weight classes, and some of the JV matches were un-scored exhibition matches to simply allow them to become more experienced without the pressure of having to score points or worry about winning or losing. Sometimes the coaches would stop the match during an exhibition match to offer pointers or advice as a teaching tool to allow them to become better wrestlers.

The meet progressed rapidly, but everyone still had time to rest in between matches. Once they worked through the JV matches they moved right on into the Varsity roster. Edward only had to wrestle twice, and he was done for the night. It seemed like an awful long trip to only wrestle twice tonight, but that was how the sport worked.

We'd watched Emmett wrestle his first match, and he easily won. I would have said it was a foregone conclusion that he could take the kid, but Emmett seemed ecstatic at his win and picked Rose up and spun her around, kissing her before she ordered him to put her down.

It was a long wait until Edward's match. He was in the second to last bracket, but I didn't mind spending time with him. We chatted, and he explained more details of the strategy of wrestling to me, pointing out techniques and what kids were doing right, and what some of them were doing wrong.

Edward and I hung out until his coach called him over to start warming up a couple of matches before he'd be called to wrestle. Alice, Rosalie and I found seats close to the mat where Edward was going to wrestle and waited for his match to start.

I easily found Edward's opponent when I heard then called to report to the scoring table. They reported in and then moved to the on deck holding area to wait for their match to start. He was the same kid Edward had beaten last week in Forks and he had a look of determination on his face as he scowled slightly, intent on doing better and winning this time. He bounced lightly from foot to foot on the balls of his feet to keep his energy up as he crouched slightly forward, balancing on the balls of his feet as he practiced moves, throwing his hands out to grapple an imaginary opponent as he bobbed and weaved.

I wouldn't want to have wrestle him, but Edward had beaten him before. I threw a shield around the boy to guard his mind, and Edward glanced in my direction and smiled. He nodded, acknowledging my action and moved into the on deck holding area to wait for them to be called. He was lightly bouncing in a crouch too and moved his body and arms to stay loose and warmed up.

Alice cheered loudly next to me, and it caught my attention. Sara's boyfriend, Dean was wrestling on the mat in front of us now. He'd scored points for a take down, but the other kid had escaped and now the wrestlers were back in the neutral position again as they circled, searching for any advantage.

Suddenly they came together, grappling each other's shoulders, their heads together as they each tried to overpower the other and drive him down to the mat. I could see them struggling as they tried to move each other off balance and force the other down.

Dean stepped toward the other kid, and his ankle was behind the other boys as he tried to step back to keep his balance.

The kid went down and was on his side as he scrambled and tried to flop onto his stomach in a defensive move, but Dean was too fast. He pounced on his opponent, grappling his neck and shoulder, forcing him to try to spin away without going to his belly on the mat.

Dean's arm was around his neck reaching, and his other arm snaked under the kid's thigh as he squeezed him into a ball, trying to force his head to touch his knee. His hands came together as he rolled the kid back onto his shoulders, and the referee's hand came down to slap the mat.

It was all over that fast regardless of the point score because he'd scored a fall and pinned the kid.

Everyone on our side cheered, and our cheerleaders jumped up, kicking and jumping and waving their pom-poms to cheer for Dean. The guys stood up to shake hands, and then the referee raised Dean's hand in the air to declare him the winner.

Dean bent down to remove the colored band on his ankle and dropped it on the mat, and then he was walking off of the mat toward Sara. He grabbed her around the waist and spun her around, and kissed her cheek before setting her back down again.

I looked at the scoring table and Edward and the kid he was wrestling were checking in before they went to the mat to wrestle. They walked onto the mat, and then reached down to pick up the colored bands and fasten them around their ankles. Edward had the red band as the visitor, and the other kid was green for home.

The referee had them shake hands, and then they started in the neutral position, facing off against each other with the toe of their foot on the line marked on the mat.

The referee's hand came down to start the clock and the match, and then he stepped back as Edward and the other kid started to circle.

Suddenly they came together, grappling each others shoulders, their head together as they each tried to over power the other and start the match with a take down, but they were evenly matched in weight and strength.

The Bainbridge kid stepped back suddenly, drawing Edward off balance and he pressed the advantage, forcing Edward downward, taking him down to the mat. He had the upper hand and scored two point while Edward was forced into a defensive posture.

The kid tried to press the advantage but Edward wouldn't give any ground. They worked closer and closer to the edge of the mat, and finally the referee called time as they went out of bounds.

Edward and the other kid both got up and moved back to the middle of the mat, but this time, Edward had to get down on his hands and knees in the center of the mat. The other boy took a knee beside him, with one arm around Edward's waist and his other hand on his near elbow.

The referee blew the whistle to start the clock, and both wrestlers exploded into action.

The Bainbridge kid tried to force Edward back down and flip him onto his back, while Edward's legs heaved, driving him to his feet.

He spun out of the kids grip and scored a point for an escape.

The match continued, and the Bainbridge kid scored another take down and scored back points as well.

The score was six to one against Edward when the period ended.

The Bainbridge kid got the option of starting position and chose the optional offensive position. Edward had to get on his knees again, but this time the Bainbridge kid stood beside him with both hands on his back.

The referee blew the whistle to start the clock, and the match was on again. The Bainbridge kid tried to grapple him to flip him onto his back, but Edward was faster and scored a point for an escape.

He was finally back on his feet again, but it was the middle of the second period, and he was down by four points.

"Edward's going to have to do something soon." Rose commented. "The other kids got him on points. He's going to have to score some points or go for the pin."

Suddenly Edward's hand shot out like a snake striking, and he caught the other kid's knee, lifting him off balance. There was a flurry of motion too fast to follow as they collapsed onto the mat, scrambling for advantage.

Edward gained control of the situation as the other kid flipped onto his stomach and Edward landed on top of him, scrambling around behind him to cover his back.

The referee's hand with the red wrist band for visitor shot out, holding up two fingers, and the score changed six to three on the score board.

The guys were writhing around on the mat as the Bainbridge kid on the bottom looked for an opportunity to escape and Edward tried to push his advantage to go for the pin. I could see him forcing his hands in to lock onto the other kids fore arm.

I glanced at the score board, and then looked back at the wrestling match. Edward had managed to pull the Bainbridge kids opposite arm out from under as it crossed his chest under his body and he had a hold of it with both hands now. He spun around so he was on the kid's side, and started to push forward with his feet as he pulled the kids arm up and around his body.

The Bainbridge kid was giving up some ground as he tried to push them towards the edge of the mat. If he could get out of bounds, the referee would stop the match and move them back to the center. He was in serious trouble now if Edward could press the advantage before time ran out.

Both of them were breathing hard, and the Bainbridge kids face was beet red and constricted in a rictus of agony as he fought through the pain to stay on his belly while pulling towards the edge of the circle.

Edward was having any of it and was putting all of his weight into pushing him over onto his back. He had the advantage if he could drive him over before they called time.

His legs were braced on the mat, and the Bainbridge kid had no choice but to roll over, or let Edward rip his arm off. The referees arm shot out again, holding up fingers as the kid flipped onto his back, and Edward landed on his chest. He was still down a point, but there was another period to go.

The towel boy was out on the mat, watching the clock as he kept his hand on the referees back. His job was to signal the referee when time was up so the ref could concentrate on the match and didn't need to watch the clock too. This was going to be close as time ticked down.

Then Edward's arm was across the Bainbridge kid's chest and neck, hooked under the other kids arm, pushing him down as his legs grappled the kids waist in a leg lock, tangling his legs and knees. He couldn't move his legs to try and kick out and Edward was forcing his shoulders down, under his body as he leaned into him with all his weight.

Edward rolled the kids hips up and pushed his shoulder down.

The referee's hand came down to slap the mat, scoring the pin seconds ahead of the towel hitting the referee's back.

Everyone on our side cheered, and our cheerleaders jumped up, kicking in the air and waving their pom poms to cheer for Edward.

The guys stood up and shook hands, and then the referee raised Edward's hand in the air to declare him the winner.

The match was over and they bent down to remove the colored bands from their ankles. They dropped them on the mat, and then they were walking off of the mat so the next match could start.

Edward was walking towards me, and he seemed excited. I rose to meet him as he rushed up to me and caught me around the waist, lifting me off my feet and spinning me around in his excitement.

"That was amazing, Bella! You're amazing! I've never felt so free and uninhibited! I didn't have to hold back at all and could just use all the moves I've trained! I never realized how much I was holding myself back before, but I could just wrestle without second guessing every move!"

Edward set me back on my feet, and my hands were around his neck. He was hot and sweaty, but it was wonderful and ok and I didn't care as I stared up into his excited green eyes. I was pressed up against his chest, and his hand came up to gently caress my cheek.

"Thank you for doing that for me," and then he leaned down and very gently kissed my lips. His kiss was sof and chaste as his lips pressed against mine. I returned the pressure, kissing him back, and then he was stepping away, breaking the kiss. He could make this ok, but this wasn't the place, and I understood.

I let him go after our intimate moment. This was his time, and Edward stepped away to go talk to his coach. Most of the people in the gym hadn't even noticed, or Edward had made them not care, but Alice, Rose and Esme had seen and smiled at me as I dreamily sat back down on the bench seat of the bleachers.

I could get used to this sort of thing and just be a girl and not have to worry about life and death situations and running for my life. This could be the way I lived if I was Edward's girlfriend. It was something to seriously consider.

**Author's note:**

As a couple of reviewers have pointed out, I do need to give greater credit to Stephen King for the ideas I'm using in this story. The Shop, the drug to make people develop powers, the drug testing at universities, and some of the abilities that Bella has in this story came from the Stephen King novel and movie _Firestarter_. Edward's push ability was first explored in _Firestarter_, and then expanded upon in the movie by Summit Entertainment, _Push_. Alice's jumper ability comes from the movie _Jumper_, and Jasper's Mover ability comes from the Summit Entertainment movie, _Push. (Although I did have characters with powers like both of them years ago when I used to play the Champions RPG – paper version – years before either of the movies cam out.) _If _Push_ or _Jumper_ were books first, I haven't read either of them.

The Victoria character exists in both the Twilight series and Firestarter, although they're both different people, and Victoria Tomlinson was a very minor character in Firestarter. What I've done with her is mostly original, although I did take advantage of the fact that the name appeared in both books. She died very early in firestarter. I'm working with her after she died and what I'm postulating happened to her after she was killed off in the other story.

I believe what I'm doing with Rose in this story is fairly original, although I've been influenced by too many sources over the years to mention all of them.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come


	21. Shanghai

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer & Stephen King.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 21 Shanghai

The rest of the wrestling meet went smoothly. Edward won his next match and Jasper won both of his. Emmett lost his second match, but he took it pretty well and sat down with Rose to discuss what he'd done wrong.

Our guys were done a little after nine. We'd faced both of the other schools, but they still had to face each other. We weren't planning on sticking around to watch it. The guys went to the locker room to hit the showers while Esme and the cheerleaders gathered up their things to pack up on the bus.

Alice, Rose and I helped Esme and the girls get their things packed up on the bus, and then we hung out waiting for the guys to finish up before we left. The guys started filtering out in ones and twos as they finished showering and dressing, and headed for the bus carrying their gym bags.

Edward was one of the first ones done, and came walking out looking for me. He had his gym bag slung over his shoulder and his hair was damp from the shower, but dry enough so he wouldn't catch cold walking out to the bus. He was wearing his letter jacket, and walked up to me when he saw me standing with Alice.

"Walk with me while I put my things on the bus?" He asked.

"Sure…" I replied and walked beside him as we moved toward the door.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did for me tonight, Bella. That was absolutely incredible. I always have to second guess myself, sometimes I think I hold back to insure I'm not taking advantage of the situation. It was so freeing to know I couldn't control the guys I faced and I won or lost based on my training and ability as a wrestler."

"It was easy for me to help out. I'm glad I could help you."

"Will you come to the rest of the wrestling meets and tournaments this season? It would be fantastic if you could help me like this for the rest of the season. I love wrestling as a sport, but I want to really be able to compete, not just win."

"Sure… as long as nothing else comes up I don't see why I couldn't help you."

About the only thing I could foresee stopping me from helping Edward like this was if the agents from the Shop showed up and we had to make a run for it. Then all bets were off.

"That's great, Bella."

"There's something else I wanted to talk to you about, Edward…"

"Alright, I'd like to think we can discuss anything. Hold on just a second..." Edward said. We had arrived at the bus, and he ducked inside to drop off his gym bag and claim the seat he wanted for the ride home.

"I was surprised Charlie suggested I stay over tonight…" I continued when he came back out.

We continued walking a short way away from the bus so we could speak privately as the other guys started coming out. Edward would have kept our conversation private regardless, and I seemed to take that for granted now, speaking freely despite the fact that people might be close enough to overhear us. He wouldn't let them remember what we were talking about, and if he couldn't, them it wouldn't matter if they knew, because they'd be special too.

"He knew you'd be getting back very late. He would have stayed up to wait for you to come home. Now he can get a good night sleep. He knows you'll be safe with us."

"Is that what this is about, or is that how you're trying to rationalize it? I could see him possibly agreeing to let me stay over if I suggested it and tried to talk him into it. He knows I'm friends with Alice, but he knows you live there too, and he knows we're kind of dating. I can't see him suggesting that I spend the night at your house, Edward."

"You don't believe your father trusts you?"

"He trusts me. I can't believe he trusts you. He's more overprotective than that. He doesn't even want me to date you until he has the talk with you. He would have at least wanted to talk to Esme or Carlisle first to know we weren't planning some kind of monkey business or something."

"He did talk to Esme. What are you trying to say, Bella?"

"Did you get into Charlie's head and make him ok with me sleeping over tonight?"

"You were shielding him at the school and the hospital. You blocked his mind before he was even out of his car, and you kept him shielded until long after he dropped us off at the school. I didn't have any opportunity to try to push him today before he made that suggestion."

"That doesn't answer my question. I'm not with him twenty-four seven. Alice can take you anywhere you need to be in the blink of an eye. You've had plenty of opportunity."

"That would mean that the act of control would be premeditated and that I would have had to give it thought and consideration. I would have had to plan it and then act to carry it out."

"Did you do it?"

"Yes."

"What! You're not even going to deny it?"

"What's the point? I'm not going to lie to you. You have to know how I feel about you. I want you to be my girlfriend, Bella. It seemed like a good idea to remove any roadblocks that might keep us apart."

"So you just made it ok with Charlie for me to spend the night at your house? How long have you been planning this? What about Carlisle and Esme? Did you make this ok with them too? Is that why they don't say anything about Alice and Jasper and Rose and Emmett basically living together under their roof? What exactly were you expecting to happen tonight?"

"Please don't be upset…"

"I am upset, Edward, and you can't control me to just make me ok with this."

"It's not like that…"

"Then tell me what it is like, because it sure sounds like that! Were you planning on sneaking into my room? Or maybe you just expected me to share your bed with you…?

"I'm not expecting anything like that to happen tonight, Bella. I haven't done anything to Carlisle or Esme to alter their reactions. I can't affect them that way. They're naturally resistant to my ability. Besides, you know about Alice and Jasper and Rose and Emmett share a special relationship."

"Fine, you didn't say how long you've been planning this for."

"I wasn't exactly planning for tonight. I simply made Charlie more conducive to the idea of you sleeping over if you decided you wanted to. I had no idea he would spontaneously suggest that you should do so this evening. He trusts us and considers our house to be safe place for you to stay, that's all. I simply made him ok with the idea that it would be ok for you to sleep over if Alice asked you too."

"So this was Alice's idea?"

"No. It was my idea, but it's always easier to get people to do something if you suggest something they aren't opposed too. Charlie likes Alice and he knows you're friends. He'd be more inclined to say yes if Alice asked if you could sleep over and stay the night. I simply set up the situation where he'd likely say yes. I simply made him feel that you'd be safe with us and that he should have no fears for your safety when you're with us. That's the truth, you know…"

"Fine, how long has this been going on?"

"I started laying the ground work the first time I laid eyes on you. You have completely captivated my soul and you fill my thoughts constantly. I'm not embarrassed to say that I have done everything within my power to make you mine and win your love.

"I've acted to remove roadblocks, as I stated, but I have not poisoned your father's mind against Jacob. I have not influenced anyone else to hate him either. I haven't made anyone believe we should be together with my ability, but hopefully my actions have made my point for me. Any opinions you hear regarding Jacob Black or us as a couple is that person's honest impression.

"Beyond that, Carlisle said I should be the man you want to love to win your love, not manipulate the situation to drive away my rival. You are free to choose as you will."

"Ok… so what were you expecting to happen tonight?"

"Believe me when I say I was as shocked as you that Charlie made the suggestion. I have no expectations, Bella, but I do have dreams and wishes. I'm seventeen and I'm not above having fantasies. I thought perhaps we could talk, or maybe you would be fast asleep when I returned home and I'd have an opportunity to have breakfast with you in the morning and drive you to school. In my wildest fantasies, maybe we continued where we'd left off on Saturday night, but only if you were willing to entertain the notion.

"Please believe me when I say that nothing will happen between us that you're uncomfortable with or that you're unwilling to try. I value your free will and the fact that I can't touch your silent mind. You are the ultimate challenge for me, because I have to win your love and if you choose me it's because I'm worthy of your love, not because I can make you love me. Every other couple in the world takes that for granted, but you are truly unique and the most special girl in the whole world."

"I'm not so special, Edward. I'm a freak of nature that any sane person wants to destroy, like killing a rattlesnake or stepping on a scorpion…"

"So am I. You're so special to me, Bella. Anyone who wants to hurt you has to go through me. Anyone who so much as desires to harm a single hair on your head can eat their gun, fall on their sword, or step into traffic. You're mine, should you have the desire to be mine."

"You know I'm not ready to make that decision yet... I think I understand why you did what you did, but I can't say I'm ready to simply accept it or tell you I'm ok with it. I don't want you in Charlie's head any more. I don't want you influencing his decisions, even if it's to make life easier for us..."

"What about all of the other people around us Bella? You're willing to accept that, but not with your father? It's ok for me to influence them, but not your father? Where do we draw the line?"

The rest of the wrestling team had gathered by the bus. They would have easily overheard every word we were saying if Edward wasn't controlling them that very instant so they ignored what we were saying.

I squirmed a little when I considered what he was asking. Maybe they weren't intimately involved in the day to day affairs of my life, but they were still people. It was a bigger moral dilemma than I wished to tackle right now.

"They aren't my father and I don't live with them. They don't make decisions that affect my life. I don't report to them and I'm not accountable to them for how I lead my life and what kind of a person I am. When you start making changes to Charlie's fundamental values and belief system, you change who he is as a person and how he reacts to me.

"Today was a prime example if you didn't actively make him make that decision. You changed how he felt about your family and it altered his decision making process."

"Do you want me to try to undo it? I can't guarantee how he'd react or what the effect would ultimately be..."

"No! Just stay out of his head! You've done enough damage. Promise me you won't try to alter his thoughts or influence his decisions anymore, ok"

"Alright, I promise not to make any changes or alter his thoughts unless you want me to and allow it. I can't promise to stay out of his head. He's quieter than everyone else, and much of his mind is closed to me or indistinct, but I can't stay out any more than you could make your ears stop hearing."

"Fine. I mean it, Edward. Don't mess with his head anymore."

"I cannot lie to you, Bella. You have my word. I have to get on the bus to leave. Will you allow me to kiss you goodbye?"

"Edward...!" I knew I sounded exasperated, and he looked hurt. I smiled at him and softened my expression. I wasn't mad that he wanted to kiss me. "I told you not to keep asking for permission and just do it..."

He took me in his arms and his lips touched mine. I couldn't stay mad at him. I knew he wasn't controlling my mind, but my mind had very little to do with this.

He could very easily control my heart, and I melted against him as my arms snaked around his neck and my fingers knotted in his hair. I could feel the bulge in the front of his jeans pressing into my stomach...

I kissed him back hard and then I was pulling away. "I'll see you when you get home. I'll wait up for you," I said with a smirk and licked my lips suggestively, tasting him on my lips as his scent filled my senses.

"You're evil Ms. Swan. This will be the longest bus ride of my existence..."

I could see the bulge in his pants and I knew the ride would be long and uncomfortable. "I know. Consider it your penance. Don't mess with Charlie's head again. You don't need to, and I like my father the way he is."

Then I turned on my heel and walked back into the gym to find Alice. She was standing inside the lobby waiting for me.

"That was so mean," Alice said with a smirk as I walked in.

"He so deserved it, Alice..." I started

Alice chuckled and put her arm around my waist. "Oh, I have no doubt. He totally deserved it. C'mon, let's grab Rose and Carlisle and get out of here. I'm bored and want to do something fun."

We walked close together as I threw my arm around her shoulder and went back into the main gym auditorium to find the others. Rose was waiting inside the doors and Carlisle was saying goodbye to Esme. He kissed her and then held her hand as the two of them walked over to join us.

"All ready to hit the road?" Alice asked.

"Yes, just let me put Esme on the bus, and I'll meet you at the car," Carlisle said.

"Thank you for helping tonight, girls," Esme said. "I'll see you back in Forks."

"No problem, Esme," Alice said.

"It was fun..." I said. "I enjoyed coming to the meet like this."

"It's not so bad when you don't have to drive three hours," Rose said."

"What do you care, Rose," Alice commented. "You would have just tuned out and done something else while I drove, and then you'd just wake up when we got here. It's not like the trip would have mattered to you."

"Well, I'm still glad I have you, Alice. You make life so much easier."

That was interesting. The way Alice talked and the way the other's seemed to treat Rose at times was almost like she was an appliance or something that they took for granted. Sometimes they treated her like a person, and other times they seemed so callous towards her.

I knew she was a person, but she existed as much as a voice on the phone as she did as somebody to actually hang out with.

It was really strange the way Alice described her tuning out, too. She didn't say she'd go to sleep for the trip. It was like she was just transporting her body, but her consciousness would exist someplace else doing something else until they arrived at their destination. I knew Rose could multi task but this went beyond being able to talk on the phone without holding the phone in her hand.

Carlisle walked Esme to the bus and kissed her good bye while the three of us girls got in the car. Carlisle came over to join us and got into the passenger seat.

"Alright, Alice, I'm ready whenever you are."

"Ok. If it's all the same to you, I'm going to drop you and Rose off at the house, and then Bella and I are going out for a while until the boys get home."

"Ok, but don't stay out too late. You still have school tomorrow," Carlisle said.

I suppose he wasn't really Alice's father and she just lived with them because she wanted to. She could come and go as she pleased because she could simply decide to leave whenever she wanted to. There was nothing truly tying her to the Cullens beyond the sense of loyalty and family they shared. She didn't rely on them for her financial wellbeing or support. If anything, she brought more to the table than she took away and their lives were richer because of her.

It was an admirable position to be in rather than being a burden and pariah like me. All I could bring to the table was misery and woe, and all of their lives were suddenly more complicated because of me. I was a hunted fugitive and I'd only succeed in drawing the hunters down on their heads.

All of them would have to run when the hunters caught up with me. Assuming all of them survived to run when they found me. I was prepared to go down in a blaze of glory, but they didn't deserve to burn with me. I was left with the same old dilemma. How long should I stay and when should I run. I needed to leave before the hunters found me, but I didn't want to leave because I'd found Edward and Jacob and they were both so special.

I didn't want to lose either of them, but I knew I was going to have to choose. It was an impossible decision and I knew I couldn't give either of them up. I knew this was going to be messy and painful and I had no idea how it would play out, but I just hoped I'd find a solution somehow. I was at a complete loss on how to resolve my dilemma. I didn't know what to do, so all I could do was keep moving forward and pray the situation resolved itself.

Alice drove out of town, but turned off and took a different route than the bus.

Reality twisted.

There was the sound of fabric ripping and the scent of ozone in the air.

Suddenly we were driving down the driveway in front of the Cullens house. Alice pulled around to the garage and parked Carlisle's Mercedes in the garage and everyone got out.

Rose walked out of the garage without comment, as though she was a million miles away and running on auto pilot.

"Thank you, Alice," Carlisle said. "You and Bella have fun. Stay out of trouble."

Alice chuckled. "When have I ever gotten into trouble?"

Carlisle just smiled and shook his head like there were too many times to count and followed Rose out of the garage.

"So that's just it? He isn't even going to ask where we're going?"

Alice shrugged. "He knows we can handle ourselves in an emergency and nobody will hurt us or they're dead meat. I come and go as I please. Jasper and I stay because we like being part of the family and we're all safer together with Edward and Rose looking out for us."

"Ok, I figured that much out on my own. So where are we going?"

"Shopping..."

"It's ten o'clock at night, Alice. What stores could possibly be open at this hour?"

Alice reached for my hand and I knew better than to pop my shield.

Reality twisted.

Suddenly we were in an alleyway between tall tenement buildings with busy street sounds surrounding us. The architecture looked foreign and different and I knew we weren't in America anymore. It was sunny and the middle of the afternoon from where the sun hung in the sky. There were lots of people around, although the alleyway was empty. I didn't hear anyone speaking English, the people were chattering in a foreign language and I didn't recognize it.

All of the little visual clues pointed to the fact that we were somewhere in Asia as I followed Alice out of the alley. The signs, debris on the street, garbage in dumpsters and garbage cans all had Asian pictogram script for the writing, and the foreign voices I could hear had a distinctly Asian flavor to them in the sound of the spoken words.

The city had a different vibe and energy. The scents were different and I knew I was the foreigner here. I could see the city skyline as we hit the street and it looked vaguely familiar from TV or movies. It looked huge and crowded. All of the people I could see looked to be of Chinese ethnic descent, and we would have stood out if it wasn't for the crowds filling the sidewalks hurrying to and fro as they moved through the teeming city, intent on their own business.

"Where are we Alice? Why is the sun up? It feels like the middle of the afternoon, not ten o'clock at night."

"It's about one thirty in the afternoon on Tuesday here..."

"Umm... It was ten o'clock at night on Monday night, a second ago in your garage... You can time travel too?"

"Only in a manner of speaking, we're on the other side of the planet, Bella. It's the afternoon of the sixth here because of the time change. We're in Shanghai, China. There are a couple of shops I wanted to show you up here..."

"Shanghai, China!" I exclaimed, drawing attention from the people around us, but it passed and we blended back into the crowd. "You brought us to Shanghai, China to go shopping? How is that even possible? I don't speak a word of Chinese!"

Alice rattled something off that sounded like the same language the other people around us were speaking.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I said don't worry, I speak Chinese; At least enough to find some bargains."

I just nodded and followed Alice down the busy sidewalk.

"Is it always this crowded here, Alice?" I asked.

"This is the biggest, fastest growing city in the world, Bella. There are eighteen million people in this city. It gets a little crowded sometimes."

"Wow, that's big...!"

I tried to keep up with Alice, and then she was turning into a shopping district. There were boutiques and expensive looking store fronts on the lower floors and street fronts of several high rise buildings. There were all kinds' shops, Jewelers, electronics, restaurants, house wares, spices and an apothecary, clothing stores and shoe stores, all kinds of merchandise in all kinds of shops, but high quality and expensive looking.

Alice held my hand and led me to a clothing store. I was going to protest when I saw what kinds of clothes they sold, but then we were through the door and standing in the middle of a Chinese version of a lingerie shop that made Victoria Secret seem tame and mundane.

The hostess spoke to us and Alice replied. The next thing I knew we were being led into a private viewing room and served tea and some sort of cakes or sweet crackers. A series of models started coming through, wearing a variety of skimpy lingerie.

Alice spoke to the hostess and the selection of lingerie changed from bra and panty sets to teddies and corsets.

"If you see anything you like, you can try it on," Alice said. Otherwise, I know your sizes pretty well, and I'll just pick out some things for you."

"Alice, I'm never going to wear any of this. Why are we even bothering?"

"A girl should own some nice lingerie, and I'm sure you'll find an opportunity to wear some of this. Maybe not for long, but half the fun is taking it off."

"Fine, how about some garter belt sets then? At least that's practical. I can wear those with the skirts you're always trying to stuff me into."

"Now you're getting into the spirit of this. We can pick out some silk stockings too... You know, some girls even wear stocking and a garter belt under slacks and jeans."

"Why bother? Isn't that a waste of time? What's the point?"

"Some girls just like pretty underthings, Bella. It makes them feel pretty and feminine. Don't knock it until you've tried it."

The selection of lingerie changed to what I'd asked to see, and I had to admit I liked some of it. Alice made me try on my selections but I had to admit, we had fun picking out some sexy lingerie.

It was more fun than I'd thought it would be, and then Alice was handing over a credit card to the sales girl who rang up the purchase. There were more bags than I'd imagined. I didn't think we'd picked out so much stuff, but Alice had been relaying the selections, and I didn't speak the language.

We ended up in a little cafe to have a midnight snack and tea.

"So what were you and Edward arguing about after the wrestling meet?" Alice asked.

"I confronted him about Charlie. I wanted to know if he'd pushed him to make it ok for me to sleep over."

"Oh, is that all?" Alice asked as though it was completely unimportant.

"He admitted it, Alice. He pushed him to make him ok with spending the night at your house. Anytime you ask him, he's going to say ok now."

"Good, that makes things much easier."

"Alice! Aren't you at all concerned that Edward got into his head and changed how Charlie feels about all of you?"

"No, not really, it happens so much anymore, I've learned to deal with it."

"Well, I don't like it."

"You're spending the night at our house."

"Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I'm not going to do it. I don't like how Edward set this up, but what's done is done, and it would make things worse trying to undo what he's already done. I'm willing to accept the new status quo as long as he doesn't do any more tampering. At least he's honorable enough not to try and turn Charlie against Jacob, they're practically family for god sake."

"He probably hasn't because of how strong their bond is. Edward can do a lot, but he isn't omnipotent. He can make people do things they're violently opposed to with a really strong push, but he can't break family ties or change opinions that strong, at least not overnight."

"What I don't get is why we're even going through all of this in the first place. True, I like the fact that I have choices. And it's a little flattering to have two hot guys chasing me and doing everything they can to get me to date them. That has never ever happened to me before in my life.

"Guys never even noticed me before unless they were pointing a gun at me. Then I move here, and bam, Jacob is chasing me to ask me out and Edward is professing his undying love. It's enough to make your head spin. Sometimes I feel like pinching myself to see if I'm awake and this is for real."

"This is as real as it gets, girlfriend. Call it fate, or being in the right place at the right time. I say just hang on and enjoy the ride while it lasts."

"Sounds like good advice to me."

"So what did you mean when you said you don't get why this is even happening?"

"Well, if Edward is as powerful as he seems, why does he have any competition at all? Why is he even letting Jacob be his rival? It's like at the wrestling meet in Forks, why did Edward shove him and try to start a fight? Why didn't he just make him leave and forget about me?

"Don't get me wrong, I like having Jacob want me too, but this thing would be a ton easier if it was just one guy chasing me. I'd totally be Edward's girlfriend by now if it was just him, but Jacob is still in the picture. I still have feelings for him too."

"Well, Edward could have handled the whole wrestling meet incident better," Alice said.

"Yeah, but why did Edward even let that happen, Alice? If he doesn't want me to date Jacob, why doesn't he simply making him leave me alone instead of putting all of us through this? I can understand him wanting real competition when it comes to wrestling and I know I told him to back off and stay out of Jacob's head, but I can't shield him twenty-four seven. I couldn't stop him from getting to Charlie. He could get to Jacob fairly easily when I'm not around and just make him not want to see me anymore."

"You know the answer. Do I have to spell it out for you? Why do you think none of the other guys at school have asked you out on a date besides Mike Newton? You know, none of them will…"

"Because Edward won't let them, right? He knew I'd turn Mike down because of Jessica, and it was more useful to illustrate his point…"

Alice nodded.

"So the only reason Jacob could possibly be competition is because Edward can't push him. How does that work?"

Alice shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Carlisle thinks it's something in their genetics, something to do with their natural ability that prevents Edward from controlling them…"

"All of them?"

"All of the ones in the bloodlines that carry the mutation that give the Quileute's their abilities. Carlisle and Esme are both natural mutants too, and he can't affect their minds the way he can push everyone else."

"Is that why he can't hear or control Rose too, because she's a natural mutation too, like Carlisle and Esme and Jacob?"

"I don't know, we've never tested it, but that's not why he can't hear her, or why he can't control her."

"And you're not going to tell me why, are you?"

"Sorry, I can't. You have to ask Rose…"

"Fine, So the guys from La Push, Jacob, Quil, and Embry… Even Seth, all of them carry the mutant gene?"

"Yeah, pretty much. So far only Sam and a couple of older guys have manifested abilities in this generation, but they all carry the gene. Edward says he can read them, but he can't push them. He can still hear their thoughts. I don't know if he can project his thoughts to them so they can hear him…"

"He can project his thoughts too? What else can he do?" This was news to me.

"That's kind of how telepathy works, Bella, but I suppose you wouldn't know since he can't touch your mind. It's kind of cool actually, hearing his thoughts in your head."

"You know, that means he's in your mind… He can mess around in there and do anything he likes… He can make you do what he wants…"

Alice shrugged. "I trust him. Maybe I didn't always, but I do now. Maybe he made me trust him, but it's all the same now, so what does it matter?"

"Do you have any free will at all, or do you simply do what Edward tells you to do?"

"I think I have free will. I'm pretty sure it's me deciding what I want to do most of the time. Besides, how much free will do any of us really have? We react to the environment around us and we're constrained by rules and society and culture and duty. We all do what we have to do within the context of our lives. How free are any of us to really do what we want to do?"

"You seem like a pretty free spirit most of the time, Alice. You come and go as you please and do whatever you want."

"I have special advantages that most people don't have. It gives the illusion of freedom, but I'm just as bound to do what I have to do as any of us."

"I value my freedom, but I like having people in my life that I care about. I don't mind having responsibilities and having to be accountable for my actions as long as I have people I care about around me. I'd like to think that I matter in their lives too."

"You matter, Bella. Charlie loves you and needs you. He'd be lost again without you, and just going through the motions instead of living. I need you. You're important to all of us, and I'm not afraid to say we all love you"

"Thanks, Alice..."

"Now let me ask you a practical question. I know you want to make your own mistakes. You want us to butt out and let you decide how you're going to deal with Edward and Jacob..."

"I don't think I like where this going, Alice."

"No, I'm not going to tell you anything you don't want to hear or try to make up your mind for you."

"Ok..."

"You know we all love you. We all want you to be a part of our lives..."

"How can you say that after everything I've done? Rose and Jasper don't seem to want me around. Even Esme flinches around me and she's the sweetest, most loving woman I know."

"Trust me, they love you and they want you around."

"Ok, if you say so..."

"You know we all want you. Edward is in love with you. I know you have feelings for him too. You claim to have feelings for Jacob too. I'm not discounting that fact. I'll concede that you have these feelings."

"Ok... So you said you had a practical question?"

"Yeah. So if you picked Jacob, how would you survive? Where would you live? Sam isn't going to suddenly fall in love with you and welcome you to La Push with open arms. Jacob's dad feels the same way Sam does. He'd totally ground Jacob if he knew he was even seeing you. You can't even go onto the reservation unless you sneak in and hope you don't get caught."

"Umm... Jacob has a job as a mechanic, and he'll have his certificate when he graduates... He can go to trade school for more certifications. He has a dream to open his own auto shop someday..."

"Good for him. What about you?"

"Umm... I want to go to college and get a degree..."

"So is Jacob going to pay to send you to school? Will you even be able to apply for financial aid without tipping off the divisions? Will he be willing to relocate to wherever you go to school and leave his family and everything he knows behind to follow you?"

"I don't know, Alice. I haven't thought about it..."

"Well, you say you're in love with both of them. You say you want both of them equally. They both do it for you. Maybe if everything else is equal then you ought to start thinking about the practical concerns to see which way you should start leaning."

"I haven't said I'm in love with anybody yet. I've only even known either of them for two weeks. Besides, that seems a little mercenary to me. I've never been a material girl. I don't need things to be happy."

"Well, something is better than nothing, no matter how many ways you slice it. With Jacob, you get love and Jacob, but squat else. You can go back to living on the run and disappear into the wind if you think you can live on love and whatever you can steal.

"With Edward, you get everything. You get welcomed into the family. You get all of us and Edward's love. You get college, a place to stay, shopping sprees, coffee in Chicago, dinner in New York, fashion week in Paris, and between all of us, we keep the divisions off your trail and thumb our noses at the Shop."

"Umm... that does sort of put things into perspective..."

"I thought it might. Are you ready to head back? The boys should be home soon. I need to get you dressed to make out with Edward..."

"Alice! I'm not going to make out with him. We're just going to talk..."

"Yeah, like you talked in his room on Saturday, or at the movies, or in the backseat of his car? How do you manage to get a word in edgewise with his tongue shoved down your throat like that?"

"So there might be some kissing..."

"C'mon, I think you should wear the blue lace garter belt set and the sky blue baby doll nightie. You can wear that silk kimono robe over it if you're self-conscious."

"Wearing something like that is going to totally send the wrong message..."

"You want him to think you're hot right?"

"I don't think that's going to be a problem... If I wear that, he's just going to want to take it off of me."

"You didn't seem too opposed to that idea on Sunday afternoon. Are we playing fair here, or does only Jacob get to take off your clothes?"

"That's not going to happen tonight, Alice. How about some sleep pants and a tank top or nice cami? I can deal with that…"

"I don't see what's wrong with wearing some of the lingerie you picked out tonight. I guess you can wear some of the underwear with sleep pants…"

"Fine, but I'm not wearing a thong..."

"Well, that ought to get the party started. I thought you were afraid to send the wrong message? You know what he's going to think if he walks in and you aren't wearing any..."

"Alice! You know what I mean!"

Alice chuckled and smirked at me. "Don't worry, I'll show you how to put them on and wear them. They aren't so bad once you get used to them. I kind of like them."

"Fine...!"

We left the cafe then and walked off the main street into an alley, carrying our shopping bags.

Alice reached for my hand and I knew what was coming next.

Reality twisted.

There was the sound of fabric ripping and the scent of ozone hung in the air.

Suddenly we were standing on the deck behind the Cullen's house outside Forks. Alice slid the glass door open and we went inside. Nobody was around and we walked upstairs to the third floor. Alice dropped off her bags in her room, and then we went down the hall to the guest room.

We dropped off my bags and then Alice turned to me. "Ok, bath or shower? Chances are if you soak in the tub, you'll still be in there when Edward comes home. If you take a quick shower, we can dress you in the lingerie we discussed."

I thought about it for a minute. If I was in the tub when Edward got home, I'd be naked, and he'd probably get in with me or at least be in the room when I got out. If I showered and dressed for bed, we could fool around a little, but I'd be able to decide how much and how far things progressed.

"Shower...," I said.

"Well, then get in the shower, unless you're planning to take a shower with him."

"Umm..." She wasn't expecting me to just take my clothes off... was she?

"Oh for heaven's sake, Bella! Fine, I'll turn around. You know, I see you in the locker room every day at school. What exactly were you planning to wear when you got out of the shower? I'm helping you get dressed for bed! That's kind of the point of lingerie..."

"Fine... Sleep pants and tank top, Alice."

Alice handed me a toothbrush and a hair clip, "Pin up your hair so it doesn't get wet, we don't have time to dry it."

She was right, and I was being silly. I got undressed and pushed the door open to walk into the bathroom. It still felt funny getting undressed in front of Alice, even if she had seen it all before. We were in a bedroom, not the locker room at school.

I ran the shower, and got in. I felt funny showering in Edward's bathroom and using his soap and toothpaste. I didn't lollygag though, and got washed and rinsed off. I grabbed a towel and dried off, and then wrapped it around myself before walking back into the guest room. Alice had some of the things we'd bought laid out on the bed. She'd relented and actually laid out the things I'd requested.

I guess we were compromising. She had given in and laid out the sleep pants and a camisole for me to wear.

Then she handed me the thong.

I grimaced but slipped it on, and then Alice helped me adjust it to fit properly. I felt uncomfortable with the string stuck in the crack of my ass. It always felt like I had a perpetual wedgie, and I had the urge to dig it out of my butt, but I knew it would just work its way back in again. I was better off just adjusting it how I wanted it to fit and toughing it out until I got used to it.

Alice had bought me several pair, and I had a feeling they were going to become a staple in my underwear drawer from now on.

"So what about you, Alice?" I asked as I pulled on the cami and sleep pants. "Don't you need to get dressed too? Jasper will be home the same time Edward gets here..."

"It's more important what you're going to wear because you're still resisting the inevitable and you and Edward haven't done it yet. I dress up for him sometimes, but I'll just jump in the shower with him tonight. He's usually pretty keyed up after having to hold back so much at one of these wrestling meets and he wouldn't have the restraint to appreciate the outfit. Usually he just wants to jump right into bed and fu...

"Ok! I don't need all the details!"

Alice chuckled. "You can be such a prude, Bella. You just need to let go and live a little. I know what I'm going to be doing... all night long. In different positions too."

"Alice!

She laughed again. "Ok, I'll be good, but don't knock until you've tried it. If you have any questions, though, any questions at all, feel free to ask me."

"So why do you say it's inevitable? What if I don't want that? What if I make a different decision?"

"You're here, aren't you? If you stay on this path, it's going to happen, maybe not tonight, but one night soon. You have to change your path to make a different decision, but you keep coming back, so it's going to happen. You still get to decide the details, like when and whether or not you enjoy it, but you and I both know it's going to happen."

"Ok..." She was right, and I knew it too. It was going to happen if I kept seeing Edward. It was even something I wanted to happen, but not yet... Not tonight.

Then Alice's head cocked to the side like she was listening to something far away. "They're here. Are you coming downstairs?"

I stared at her incredulously. "Dressed like this? Are you on crack?"

"You look fine, nobody will say anything."

Alice reached for my hand, but I snatched it away before she could touch me.

"I'll just wait up here, Alice..."

"Fine, suit yourself. I'll tell Edward you're waiting up for him."

There was the sound of fabric ripping and the scent of ozone in the air, and Alice vanished.

I was kind of keyed up and excited, despite the lateness of the hour. It was after one in the morning and I should have been dead on my feet. The trip to China was tricking my mind into thinking it was earlier than it was. I'd just spent a couple of hours in the bright afternoon sunlight, and it didn't feel like one in the morning anymore.

I should have gone downstairs with Alice. The anticipation was driving me nuts. I didn't know if Edward was going to knock on the door or just walk right in. Would he invite me to go to his room to talk, or would he come in here? I didn't know if I should still be mad at him or if I should just let it go. I wasn't mad anymore, and it would be wrong to pretend just to make him suffer.

Then there were the practical considerations Alice had brought up. Maybe I wasn't a material girl, but I was practical and level headed. Alice was dead on about my feelings, too, and I knew I was falling in love with both of them. Hell, I might as well quit beating around the bush and at least admit it to myself. I was in love with both of them but I had no clue what to do about it.

Charlie was absolutely right when he said I was playing with fire. I knew it was going to flare up soon and burn somebody, most likely me, but I had no clue how to control the firestorm that was building.

I knew Alice was right about a lot. I did want to go to college, and all things being equal, I knew in my head that Edward was the better choice. Unfortunately my head and my heart weren't playing fair and I didn't have the first clue how to let go of either of them. I knew when I was with Jacob I'd find ways to rationalize that decision too.

I was lost in thought and pacing back and forth when the shower came on in the bathroom. I knew if I opened the door and walked in, Edward would be naked in the shower.

I considered just walking in, but I wasn't going to invade his privacy like that, though. Not to mention that it would certainly send the wrong message. I wasn't prepared to up the ante like that unless I was prepared to follow through, and I wasn't.

I didn't want him to find me nervous and pacing. I quickly turned off the light and sat down on the bed, leaning back on the pillows and curling my legs beneath me. I turned on the lamp on the night stand so I wasn't sitting in the dark and I didn't get under the covers, I was afraid I'd send the wrong message again if I was in bed waiting for him.

The shower cut off and I sat there waiting. I wasn't sure what to expect. Was he waiting for me to go find him? I didn't think that was a good idea. I didn't want to appear too eager…

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door.

"Come in…" I said, hoping I was loud enough so he could hear me, but I didn't want to yell.

The door opened and Edward was standing in the doorway. He was wearing a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt stretched over his hard muscled chest, but his feet were bare and his hair looked tousled and damp.

"Am I disturbing you? I didn't know if you'd still be up… It's late…"

"Come in, Edward. I told you I'd wait up to continue… our discussion…"

He walked into the room, but kept his distance, not quite coming all the way to the bed.

"Ok… Are you still mad?"

"No. I'm not mad anymore. Just don't do it again, ok? Are you at least sorry that you did it? You understand why it was wrong?"

"I'm sorry that my tampering had unforeseen consequences. I'm not sorry that I made it ok for you to sleep over whenever you want to. You believe it was wrong because I caused a permanent shift in your father's personality. I can't see spending more time with you as a bad thing."

"You realize this is probably just exactly the sort of thing he wanted to prevent from happening by restricting my overnight visits to your house."

"He wasn't opposed to you sleeping over before, as long as he knew you were coming to see Alice and not me. He would have talked to Esme about it, and would have preferred to have Alice over at your house unless I was away. Actually his fears for you and what he would have wanted to prevent were much more physical and intimate. Your father has a vivid imagination."

I patted the bed beside me to indicate it was ok for him to join me. "Really? Care to demonstrate?"

"Yes, but I know you aren't. I wouldn't go there, not unless I want to get slapped or thrown across the room, but I'm willing to carry on where we left off earlier…" Edward closed the distance between us and scooted onto the bed beside me.

I reached over and turned off the reading lamp. The bathroom door was still open and the night-light on the sink left a soft glow of light. It was dark in the room, but there was enough light to see by once our eyes adjusted.

"Seriously? What did you see in his head?" I asked, curious now.

"I'm gentleman enough not to go into exacting detail. Suffice it to say, you and Alice discussed it earlier before I got home. Basically what she's doing right now if you really need to know. Of course, if you're willing..."

I didn't need to know, but I knew what he meant.

"Umm..., No... Never mind what I said about a demonstration. So not ready to go there yet. I'm ok with picking up where we left off earlier though..."

"So this is ok then..." Edward said as he reached for me.

Edward pulled me closer, lifting me onto his lap as his arms circled my body... One hand moved into my hair, cradling my head and the other supported my lower back, pulling our bodies together.

His lips were on mine, slick and sweet and insistent as they ground against mine. The tip of his tongue slipped across my lower lip, begging for entry.

My lips parted and he sucked my lower lip between his for a second, tenderly sucking on it. I felt his teeth scrape against my flesh, and then his tongue was dancing with mine, slick and velvety and strong...

The sensations were amazing and I wanted more...

My hands were pressed against his chest, and then my hand moved up to caress his cheek. My fingers moved into the short hairs at the nape of his neck and I ran my finger through the unruly mass of his hair, lightly scraping my fingernails against his scalp.

Our lips were locked together in a passionate kiss as we explored each other's mouths. My hands cradled Edward's head, as I tried to pull him closer and not let him go. His hands were exploring my body as he held me pressed to his chest.

We moved together in a sort of mutual desire to get more comfortable and semi-reclined on the bed. Our legs were tangled together as I wrapped mine over Edward's and we lay back as we made out and shared deep passionate lingering kisses.

He was free to explore my body more now that he wasn't holding me up on his lap. Edward's hand moved up and down my side, stroking down my body to my hip, and down onto my thigh. His hand moved up onto my ass cheek, gripping me through my sleep pants and kneading my flesh. He stroked up my torso along the side of my ribcage, but stopped short of actually placing his hand on my breast.

It was so frustrating, and I wanted to break the kiss and just tell him to do it, but his lips felt too nice on mine and I liked the way our tongues danced and played back and forth.

I knew what the problem was. Edward was trying to be a gentleman and not push my limits. There were times to be a gentleman, but this wasn't one of them. I thought I was sending all the right signals that I was into this and I liked it, but I guess I was going to have to be more direct.

I reached down and took Edward's hand and placed it on my breast. If that wasn't letting him know it was ok, then we had a more serious communication problem than I'd realized.

He got the message. His hand closed on my breast, squeezing and fondling as his thumb stroked my hardening nipple through my camisole. It was very nice and I moaned into his mouth as he played with my chest.

Time seemed to slip away and I was in heaven as we moved together, kissing and nibbling and touching each other. I was totally involved in Edward and he filled all of my senses. His incredible musky male scent filled my nostrils with every breath I took. His lips and body completely captivated my sense of touch as his lips moved on mine and my hands explored his body. His weight settled against me pressing me down, and I liked it. His taste was on my tongue and it was intoxicating and made my head spin drunkenly.

I realized his hand wasn't on my breast anymore. His hand had move to my waist and was trying to worm its way unsuccessfully under my top. He'd managed to expose my stomach as he pushed my shirt up, but now it was bunched up and too tight the way we were laying to get under easily.

I broke the kiss, and lightly pushed him away. "Hold on a minute, let me up…" I told him.

Edward immediately backed off and let me sit up. "I'm sorry, Bella. I shouldn't have pushed you so far, so fast…"

"No, it's alright… Just give me a second…" I crossed my arms on my body, reaching for the hem of the cami, and took it off, pulling it over my head and dropping it on the floor.

Edward's eyes were big as he sat staring at me, or rather my chest. His eyes were locked on my tits in rapt attention and then I reached for the hem of his t-shirt, tugging it up his body.

He got the hint, and whipped his shirt off and it landed on top of mine on the floor.

I smiled and reached for him, pulling him back down on the bed with me. His hands moved back onto my naked chest and it was even more incredible without the intervening layers of clothing separating us.

Edward's nipples were just as hard as mine, and his hard body was incredible. His muscles moved like oiled steel under his silky skin, hard and precise and defined. He didn't have a spare ounce of fat on his body and I touched every part of it that I could reach.

I was totally into this as we made out on my bed. Time slipped away from us as we shared passionate kisses and ran our hands over every inch of exposed flesh. Edward became a little more daring and took the initiative to kiss down onto my chest and sucked my nipples into his mouth, lightly grazing them with his teeth and rolling them between his lips as his tongue stroked them.

It was heaven and I didn't want it to end. But it was getting so late and the hours were starting to catch up with me.

"It's getting late, Edward. We should get some sleep before we have to get up and go to school."

"Ok. I need to use the bathroom first..."

Edward slipped off the bed and stood up. It was totally surreal, lying here while he stood looking at me while I was bare from the waist up. I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks as I glanced up at him standing beside me.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. This was great, Bella. I don't want you to feel self-conscious about this."

"I know… I've never done anything like this before…"

"Neither have I. That's why it's so special."

I just nodded. It made me feel a little better about this, knowing we were both so inexperienced.

"I'm going to use the restroom."

"Ok…"

"Can I come back to your room when I'm done?"

"I really should get some sleep… It'll be morning in a couple of hours… We have school in the morning…"

"Nothing you don't want to happen will happen, Bella. I'm not going to attack you in your sleep. I won't even get under the covers if you don't want me to."

"Umm… Ok… You can get under the covers…"

"I'll just be a minute."

I slipped off the bed then and scurried around the bed to find my camisole and pulled it back on. Then I drew back the covers and jumped into bed. I pulled the covers up to my chin and shivered in anticipation, wondering what I'd gotten myself into.

I had never done anything like this before. I'd been intent on kissing him and making out with him. I was cool with losing some clothes and touching some, but I hadn't anticipated sleeping with him, even if nothing else happened tonight.

The toilet flushed in the bathroom again. I hadn't even realized the door had closed. Everything was happening so fast.

Edward was silhouetted in the open doorway. Then the bathroom door closed blocking the night light. It made me feel better that he couldn't see how nervous I was.

I could hear the near silent pad of his footsteps across the room. I saw his form bend over, and I knew he was picking up his t-shirt. There was a rustle of fabric and then the covers were being pulled back.

Edward slipped into bed behind me, and scooted close. His arm slipped around my waist and he cuddled up behind me, spooning me as he pulled me into his chest.

I had to admit it was nice and I liked it. He was so warm and smelled wonderful. I felt safe with his arms around me, and I sighed contentedly as I sank into his chest.

His hand caressed my cheek and swept my hair behind my ear. He leaned close and kissed my cheek.

"This has been the best night of my life. Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward…"

I lay there like that for a long time, and finally I felt Edward drift off to sleep. His breathing was regular and rhythmic as his chest gently rose and fell. It was soothing and I finally relaxed and let sleep take me.

**Author's note:**

I realize a lot of people either love or hate Alice. I suppose I fall into the came with the group who like her. I'd have to say that she's probably my favorite character in the series besides Bella. I realize a lot of people don't like her because they believe she's too manipulative and controlling, but that's just who she is. I believe most of the time what she's doing she does out of love for the people around her, even if she does try to control their lives. I feel that it's a reaction to her early life and the fact that she had so little control over what happened to her and the things done to her before she came into her own and could do something about it.

Regardless of whether or not she's manipulative or controlling, she is Bella's best friend and has what she considers to be her best interests at heart. She's trying to help the only way she knows how. She doesn't want to hurt Bella, she trying to help, but perhaps she is a bit pushy. That's just who she is.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come.


	22. Power

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer & Stephen King.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 22 Power

Tuesday was a better day than Monday. The rain had returned and washed away the snow and ice. It was just cold and wet out, but not dangerously slippery or life threateningly slick. I didn't have a lot of homework to turn in because I'd missed most of the homework heavy classes yesterday, but what I did have was done and prepared to hand in. Mrs. Cope had given me a makeup slip for my missed classes yesterday so I could get the missed assignments from my teachers and still turn them in late for credit.

It was a little awkward waking up in bed with Edward, but he was a gentleman and nothing else happened. Alice came and knocked on my door to wake me up, but she didn't come into the room. She seemed to know I wasn't alone and didn't intrude once she knew I was up. Edward kissed me on the cheek and told me I could use the bathroom first. He didn't offer to share it, and seemed to know I'd say no and wait for him to finish.

He excused himself back to his room and I took a shower and brushed my teeth. I hurried through drying my hair, and then knocked on his door to let him know I was done. I slipped back into my room and closed the door, and then Alice was there to help me with my makeup and to lay out clothes for me to wear.

She didn't make a huge production out of it, or try and stuff me into a dress. The clothes looked expensive and I recognized some of the labels, but she let me wear jeans and some cool printed long sleeve t-shirts that I layered together.

We argued over shoes, though. She wanted me to wear heels and I refused to wear shoes to school that cost more than what the rest of the class was wearing combined. She found me clean socks and I slipped back into my sneakers.

We went downstairs to breakfast, and it looked like Rose and Esme had been at it for hours cooking for everyone. There were omelets and bacon and sausage. Pancakes and fresh fruit, coffee and juice, or anything else we wanted if we asked for it. It beat the hell out of a bowl of cold cereal and a pop tart.

Edward came down and announced he was skipping morning weight room to drive me to school. I made a token protest, saying he should keep his normal routine, but I knew it was a forlorn hope. Emmett and Jasper went off to school early in Emmett's Jeep. I rode with Edward in his Volvo, and Rose rode with Alice. On the bright side, my car would be done today after the new taillight assembly showed up.

Edward and I chatted again for most of fifth period biology. I had the impression that most of the kids at school assumed he was my boyfriend. They had no clue there was any question about who I should date or that there was nothing set in stone between us. Nobody at the school even knew I was as close with Jacob as I was except for the Cullens. Nobody asked, and I was a private enough person that I didn't volunteer the information or discuss it with the other girls at school.

Aerobics class was relaxing after a long day, and then I went out with Alice again after school. She had picked out a little bistro in Chicago for an after school snack, and then we browsed some boutiques until it was time to go home for dinner.

Alice dropped me off at home because Rose was still finishing up my car. Charlie was waiting for me when I walked into the house, he'd gotten off early so we could go to the Cullens. I put my school things in my room, touched up my makeup, and got into the passenger seat of the cruiser for the trip back to the Cullens house. It seemed odd that I had been there several times, but had never actually driven there myself. I knew I'd probably get lost and miss the turn off north of town if I tried to find their house on my own.

"Charlie, how much do you know about the Cullens? You know they're like us, right?" I asked to break the ice once we were on the road.

"Yeah... I guess there's a lot more going on I didn't know about before."

"Yeah, they're all pretty friendly… I went out to get coffee with Alice after school again today."

"Alright… I guess that's fine... So what else is going on that I should know about?"

"Umm…yeah… Charlie…"

"Just tell me, Bella."

"Yeah… Ok… The Cullens are like us, Charlie. They're special too, although none of them can do precisely what either of us does. I don't know what Carlisle or Esme do yet, but Edward is like mom. He has the same power, only stronger because he's second generation like me. All of them have special abilities."

"Yeah, I pretty much figured that out at the school and the hospital yesterday. They fit right in and I never even suspected a thing..."

"I guess this talk was kind of inevitable. I'm endangering all of them now, too. They'll probably either get caught or have to leave town when the Shop agents show up looking for me…"

"I'm sure that's probably something they've had to deal with in the past, Bella. They only moved here two years ago. We'll talk to them and decide how to deal with this issue. I'm sure we can work something out. You shouldn't have to live like a fugitive. You've done nothing wrong. If anyone is to blame, it's the Shop's fault for unleashing this potential inside of you. You're just trying to lead your life. You go on doing that, and let the rest of us worry about keeping you safe for a while."

"Thanks, Charlie... Umm there's something else you should know..."

"What else? You can tell me anything, Bella."

"I sort of have a date with Edward Masen on Saturday... He asked me to go to Port Angeles with him. We're going out to dinner and maybe a movie..."

"Edward Masen you say... I thought you were dating Jacob?"

"I have a date with Jacob on Friday night..."

"Oh... And Edward has the same power your mom had. He can control people's minds and make them do whatever he wants..."

"He can't control my mind, Charlie. The same shield that controls my natural radiation level shields my mind against mental powers and it's on twenty-four seven. He can't make me do anything I don't want to do, and I can fry his ass if he tries to pull anything, but he won't. Edward is a nice guy and he respects me, or I won't see him again."

"Fine. I'll trust you two to do the right thing, but I can't say I like you going out with somebody who can control your mind."

"He can't control my mind. Mom had the same power, and she didn't abuse it. Something like that in the wrong hands could get ugly in a hurry, but Edward isn't like that. He has a strong sense of ethics and he tries to do the right thing."

"Ok, you must like the boy if you're defending him and you've known him all of two weeks. What about Jacob? You say you're dating both of them?"

"I told Edward one date doesn't make him my boyfriend. I can date Jacob too. Neither of them are my boyfriend. I have to get to know these guys before anything gets serious and I have to start making decisions. Right now I'm just playing the field and keeping my options open."

"Ok... Just make sure they both know it when you do make any decisions. You know it's wrong to string either of them along once you've made up your mind? This is dangerous territory when feelings get involved. Once either of them gets emotionally invested in what they think is relationship territory, you've got the potential for disaster. I see this all the time in domestic disputes. Be very careful with this, Bella, or you'll end up playing with fire."

I nodded and we didn't speak more about it while we drove to the Cullens house.

Charlie seemed to know where he was going. He drove north out of town across the bridge and up the 101 heading north. It seemed like a long ways to me, and then he turned East off the highway and drove down the paved road that led into the forest

We passed some houses, but they grew further apart and more secluded as we wound north and east into the forest. Finally we turned off onto what looked like a private gravel road. I knew I would have missed it, but Charlie seemed confident that he knew where he was going.

Soon, we broke out of the trees and I recognized the lawn and the house. It amazed me that we were so far from Forks, but Alice had jumped us back and forth in the blink of an eye. Charlie pulled up in front of the big white three story mansion and parked the car.

"You ok, kiddo?" Charlie asked.

I nodded, "I'm fine, let's do this, and see where we stand. They've all been pretty nice…"

Charlie nodded. "They're good people. Let's go talk to them, and then we'll know the score."

Charlie knew Carlisle and Esme, but he'd met them before he knew they were special so this was kind of like meeting them all over again since they weren't hiding anything anymore. We got out of the cruiser and walked up onto the porch. Charlie knocked on the door, and it opened almost immediately.

Carlisle answered the door. "Bella, Chief Swan, thank you for coming tonight."

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie said, taking the hand Carlisle offered, "Thank you for inviting us to your home tonight."

Dr. Cullen shook his hand. "Please, Chief Swan, why don't you come in, and we can talk. Please, call me Carlisle."

Carlisle was unimposing but muscular and had a bit of an English accent when he spoke. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties and I wondered where he was from and where he'd grown up. He ushered us into the house as they continued to speak.

"Ok, Carlisle it is, but you have to call me Charlie. This isn't an official visit."

"Alright, Charlie, why don't we go into the living room so you can meet my family? We have a lot to discuss."

Then Charlie included me as we walked inside. "Carlisle, you already know my daughter, Bella. She's recently come to live with me."

"Yes, Bella and I have spoken on occasion. It's a pleasure to have you over again so soon, Bella," Carlisle said. "I've heard quite a bit about you."

He seemed sincere and showed no fear or apprehension at having me in his home. It was refreshing to be accepted, but I'd reserve judgment until I knew what they had to say.

"Thank you," I replied, but I didn't have anything else to say. I was nervous and didn't know what to expect next. I could only imagine the stories he'd heard about me.

We walked into the living room, and all of the Cullens were gathered there. Emmett was seated in the middle of one of the sofas, and practically took up half of it with his massive bulk. Rosalie sat beside him, tucked into his side. Edward sat at the other end, looking calm, cool and confident. Alice sat in an arm chair with her legs curled beneath her, and Jasper stood slightly behind her seat in an almost military stance as though he was at parade rest, but ready to snap into action without warning.

Carlisle showed us to another sofa and indicated we should be seated.

Esme came in from the other room, and she was back in her June Cleaver fifties style house dress, apron, and low sensible heels. You wouldn't imagine that she'd just been hanging out with a bunch of high school girls and teaching a high impact aerobics class a couple of hours ago. She looked perfectly at ease, and didn't seem flustered or hurried at all. The smells coming from the kitchen were amazing and made my mouth water. I didn't see how she could possibly do it all unless there were two of her.

"Can I get you anything to drink, or would you like something from the kitchen?" Esme asked.

Everyone politely declined, and Esme went to sit beside Carlisle on a love seat next to Alice's armchair.

"Well, I suppose we should begin," Carlisle said. "So, exactly how much do you know about us, Charlie?" Carlisle asked.

"Bella informed him that we all have special abilities this afternoon on their way to our house," Rose interrupted. "She only elaborated upon Edward's ability, comparing it to what her mother was capable of doing. Bella is aware of most of our abilities, except for both you and Esme, Carlisle."

"How do you do that?" I asked, slightly exasperated. Everyone else just chuckled, except for Charlie who just seemed perplexed.

Rose shrugged. "You were in his squad car. You both have cell phones. There's a two-way radio in the car, a video surveillance system and a computer with a digital camera on the console between the seats. I might as well have been sitting in the car with you."

"Well then, I guess you're as curious about our abilities as we are about yours." Carlisle said. "I'll begin. I suppose my ability is the least overt that still manifests an active component. For a very long time I was certain I was unique and was simply blessed or perhaps cursed by god…"

"You're not cursed, and my life has been blessed because you exist," Esme said, reaching over and squeezing his hand.

"You're biased because your ability is so similar to mine," Carlisle said to her, and then he turned back to Charlie and I. "Esme and I are what are now classified as natural mutations. We weren't part of a study or experiment to try and cause our powers to exist. Our abilities happened spontaneously as naturally occurring mutations. I've taken it upon myself to study this over the years and it's a much more common phenomenon than most people believe…"

"C'mon, Methuselah, cut to the chase and just tell them," Emmett interrupted.

"Emmett," Rose slapped him on the back of the head, "Have some manners and let Carlisle tell the story."

Carlisle coughed into his hand to cover a laugh, and went on. "Emmett has rather colorful nicknames for each of us based on our abilities, but for the most part, they fit. I am somewhat like Methuselah in the bible. I'm very old, much older than I appear. As far as I can tell, I am essentially immortal. I was born in the 1640's in London during the English civil war, before Cromwell's rule as protector."

"Carlisle just celebrated his three hundred and sixty first birthday in April," Esme said so we wouldn't have to guess or do the math.

Charlie was speechless, staring, but I had a question. I knew we all had passive abilities that made us different, but Carlisle said his ability had an active component. I was also curious why he would call living forever a curse. Most people would think it was an amazing gift.

"Umm… That's kind of amazing, but why would you call it a curse?"

"I've experienced much of man's inhumanity to man. I've lived through plagues, epidemics, famines, wars, atrocities that would leave you speechless, but I've survived it all. I've died many times only to spontaneously regenerate, return to life and heal from my injuries. I've outlived everyone I've ever known, loved or cared about in countless generations. I've raised families only to watch them all die of old age. I've never been able to pass on my ability and I can't watch any more of my children die."

"Oh… I'm sorry. You said you could manifest an overt ability as well. If you don't mind my asking, what can you do?"

"My ability is what led me to a study of medicine. I am a natural healer, I can lay on hands and increase the natural healing ability of the body. Cuts seal in minutes, bones begin to knit. I can promote rapid healing and some limited regeneration, but I can't stop or reverse the natural aging process in others."

"You're really over three hundred years old?" Charlie asked, finding his voice. Carlisle nodded. Then Charlie continued. "I know a little bit about watching the people you love die. It's worse when you find out you caused it just by loving them… "

Everyone was quiet for a minute, and then Charlie broke the silence. "So you said yours and Esme's powers are similar?"

"She's like the cheerleader from 'Heroes'," Emmett chimed in. "I guess it fits since she's the cheerleading coach."

"The cheerleader from 'Heroes'?" I asked. I wasn't familiar with the reference, and from the look on Charlie's face, neither was he. I assumed it had something to do with a TV show, but I hadn't watched much TV in the last couple of years.

"Heroes' is a pop culture reference, Bella. It refers to a television series that's popular on TV about people with unique special abilities, kind of like us. I have the same basic ability as one of the main characters on the show. I regenerate from damage and injury, dear. My ability constantly regenerates my cells and renews them. I heal from any injury, and once I was fully mature, I effectively stopped aging. I was born in 1895. I'm one hundred and eleven years old."

"Oh… Do you have an ability you can manifest too?" I asked.

"Not really, not easily like Carlisle can. I'm a universal donor, and anyone that receives a transfusion of my blood will temporarily gain my power and heal any injury, but it fades as soon as my blood leaves their system."

"Not any injury," Rose said a little indignantly.

"I'm ready to work with you, whenever you say the word, Rose. Both Carlisle and I will do everything we can to help you. You know that."

Rose sighed. "I know… This isn't the time. I don't know if it ever will be. I've grown accustomed to my life, and I'd have to give up a lot to be normal now."

"Ok, I'm next!" Alice said enthusiastically, drawing the attention away from Rose and practically bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Fine, Tinkerbelle can go next," Emmett said with a chuckle while Alice glared at him.

"Well take it outside then," Esme said. "I know the rest of you will want to show off, and you're not going to destroy my house!"

"Alright, outside then," Jasper said. He held up his hand, and a Japanese style sword suddenly flew across the room into his hand. It was like something out of a Star Wars movie where the Jedi knights used to force to pull something to them, only I didn't think this was a light saber.

Alice reached up and took his hand, and suddenly they vanished. There was I tearing sound, like fabric ripping, but the chair didn't look damaged, although it shuddered slightly. Esme sighed and shook her head as she got up to walk back to the sliding glass door.

Charlie's eyes were huge as we got up to follow her, but he was taking it in stride so far. "Bella, that sword flew across the room… and then they just vanished…"

"Jasper is a mover. He moves things with his mind and can use TK effects. Alice is a jumper, she can teleport. You know, move instantaneously between physical locations."

"Ok… TK effects?" Charlie questioned.

"Telekinesis. He can move things without touching them. Some movers can use their ability for other effects, punching harder, deflecting bullets, doing things at range that the rest of have to touch to do."

"Oh… This is a lot to take in. It's one thing to read stories about it, but it's… different seeing that it's really real."

"Yeah…" I wondered how he'd react when he really saw what I could do. Boiling water in a coffee cup was pretty awesome, but I could do that before I was two years old. My powers had grown significantly in strength since then and I'd learned some tricks to make them much much more effective. Would he still want me to live with him when he knew what I was really capable of doing?

"Ok," Alice said when we were all out on the deck behind the house, "My turn. Do you trust me Charlie?" Alice asked, holding out her hand to him.

Charlie turned to look at me. I nodded, "Alice isn't going to hurt you."

"Ok…" Charlie said, taking her hand.

They disappeared with a quiet ripping fabric sound while the scent of ozone hung in the air.

"How is Charlie taking all of this, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Alright, I guess. I think he's being strong for me, but I just broke the news to him about what really happened to his wife a couple of weeks ago when I moved here. It hit him kind of hard. He hasn't freaked out so far, but my mom sent him some of her files so he's been reading up about all of this. I think it would be harder if he just had to try and accept everything we tell him, but it's more concrete to him because he has some documentation."

"Mary? What do you mean? She died after a long battle with cancer…"

"And Charlie's a latent first generation burner. You never tested him for radiation? He's throwing off an awful lot of gamma, Carlisle, not enough for him to be lethal to anyone else, but enough to kill her over time."

"The oncologist at the hospital was sure they had determined all of the radiation sources. I guess her husband wouldn't have been considered as a potential radiation source, though. How would it kill her over time if it isn't a lethal exposure dosage to anyone else?"

"He wasn't intimate with anyone else. The gamma dose a latent burner radiates is related to their emotional state. The higher the emotional state, good, bad or otherwise, the more radiation they generate. She was his wife. Do I need to say more?"

"I don't get it," Emmett said. "Charlie killed his wife? How?"

Carlisle coughed into his hand again. "He was intimate with her, Emmett. He would naturally generate increased dosages of radiation when aroused…"

"Oh…"

Suddenly Charlie and Alice reappeared standing in the yard.

"Wow! Charlie exclaimed. "That was amazing!"

"Thanks, Charlie," Alice said as they walked back up onto the deck and she went to stand next to Jasper.

"Where did you go?" I asked.

"Um… New York, I think, and Paris... Tokyo too, I think."

"Close, that was Hong Kong. Tokyo is too commercial and urban anymore, and the prices are better in Hong Kong. When we have time, you have to go to Shanghai with me. There are some amazing places to shop."

"Ok, who's next?" Emmett asked. "Dr. Mindbender, maybe?"

Edward scowled at Emmett, "I'm not a doctor, but I read minds," Edward said. "Although Bella has been shielding Charlie's mind since long before they got here. It's kind of amazing how fast you wrapped your shield around him when he suddenly reappeared with Alice."

"You have?" Charlie asked, startled, staring at me.

I shrugged. "I wanted your reactions to what you see to be natural and unadjusted. Edward can make you see, believe and remember what he wants. I want you to form your own opinions of all of this. I didn't want him to decide you're a liability and make you forget all of this."

"I wouldn't do that, Bella. It's unethical, and your father needs to know. He's a part of this too."

"Don't talk to me about ethics. Why is Mike Newton telling me Jacob Black will use me, and that I ought to be going out with you instead? Did you make him think that when you set him up with Jessica? How many people at school share his opinion now?"

"Did it ever occur to you that Mike's opinion might be genuine, and that it might really be what he thinks, or did you simply assume that I go around making people think what I want them to think?"

"Oh… I guess I assumed…" I knew I was blushing bright red. It had seemed obvious to me at the time, but I suppose I had jumped to a conclusion, and hadn't given Edward the benefit of the doubt…

"Just because Mike is an idiot most of the time doesn't mean he might not have moments of insight. I didn't make him say that, Bella, but I understand that it's difficult for people to trust me, given the nature of my ability."

"I'm sorry, Edward…"

"Don't be. You don't know me that well yet. I haven't earned your trust. That will take time."

"Fine, let's move this along. You guys can argue later," Emmett said. "You're up Iron Fist," He said, turning to Jasper.

"Iron Fist? First you rip off the cheerleader from this 'Heroes' TV show for Esme, and now you're stealing from Comic books to pull nicknames for you guys? You know, that's a total rip off from the Marvel Comic, Power Man and Iron Fist."

"All the good names were taken, and Rosie threw a fit when I suggested Mr. Incredible…"

"Only because you have an incredible ego," Rose said, "but you do have some redeeming qualities."

"Wait, let me guess, you're Power Man? You do know the comic book character was African American, and was basically a mercenary, working as a private detective and hired muscle."

"Hell, most of the time he never collected for cases he solved, and ended up working for free, he barely made enough to pay the rent. If it wasn't for his buddy's trust fund, they would have been out on the streets. I suppose that kind of fits too. Besides, the powers match."

"Fine, so Power man and Iron Fist. Did you study in the mystical city of Zen La," I asked, turning to Jasper.

"No, actually it was a suburb of Galveston, but I had an excellent sensei. I learned a lot from him, and then added my own little twist. Alice and I take a martial arts class a couple of nights a week at a really nice dojo in Hong Kong if you're interested in joining us."

"Umm… I'll think about it, but I try not to get close enough to touch the people I have to fight."

"Neither do I…"

Suddenly Jasper was in motion, running to the edge of the deck, moving faster than his feet could carry him. I doubted he was even actually touching the boards of the deck. He flipped into the air, higher that should have been humanly possible and landed in a martial arts fighting stance like a character in a Chinese kung fu movie.

"Watch the tree across the river," Alice said, pointing out a gnarled old cedar. "Esme said we could practice on it, and then she'll replace it later."

Jasper was going through what looked like a kata, a choreographed set of martial arts moves used for practice, except when he punched, we could hear the blows echoing off the tree across the river. He kicked, and a branch snapped on the tree. He drew the sword, tossing away the sheath and made a two handed cut. The branch dropped off the tree as though sliced through by the blade, only the tree was over two hundred yards away on the other side of the river.

Jasper held out his hand, and the sheath flew to him as though it was attached to an elastic cord. He replaced the sword with a flourish and walked back up on the deck.

"Ok, you're up, Emmett," Jasper said as he walked back to stand next to Alice.

"Jeez, it's Power Man, ok? How many times do I have to tell you?"

"It's kind of silly, Emmett," Rosalie said.

"It's good to be prepared," Edward commented, "and silly as it might sound now, Emmett does have a point. We should get used to operating this way."

"Why are nicknames important?" Charlie asked. "I thought you were just playing around."

"When we're in a situation where we don't want to use our real names, but we have to get each other's attention or communicate, they could come in handy so we don't give up too much information about ourselves. Of course Emmett just thought it would be cool, but there is a reason to have them and practice using them."

"Wouldn't the Shop already know your names if they came after you here?" I asked.

"Yes, but we try not to fight them where we live. On occasion, we've taken the fight to them and shut down their operations. We've even rescued some people they've illegally detained to question and experiment on."

"That sounds dangerous," Charlie said. "They might be in the wrong, but they're still part of the government…"

"They aren't going to stop what they're doing if nobody resists them," Carlisle said. "All that it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. Somebody needs to stand up to them and expose them to stop the atrocities they perpetrate on free law abiding citizens. Hitler and his Nazi's came to power as part of the legitimate government because of people turning a blind eye and the other governments of Europe kept letting them get away with more and more until they were running the government and plunged us all into war. Things might have turned out differently if enough people had stood up and told them that what they were doing was wrong."

"I'll have to think on that…" Charlie said, sounding troubled. He knew what the Shop did was wrong, but they were still a government agency even if they operated in the black, and used illegal methods. They were wrong, but still officially recognized as right.

"Ok, well it's my turn," Emmett said. He seemed to concentrate for a second, and his skin took on a metallic sheen although it was still skin colored, like it had the other day in the parking lot at school. "Ok, hit me." He said to me.

"What? I'm not going to hit you! I would have broken my hand before you did whatever you just did. I'm not going to hurt myself."

"Oh, c'mon, Bella! I know you're not a wimp. Then kick me, give me your best shot!"

"Umm… I don't want to hurt you, Emmett."

"Hurt me! Hell, what do you weigh, a buck five dripping wet? C'mon, give me your best shot!"

I'd been thinking of ways to try and use my powers to not kill people. My force shield was the best bet. I guess now was as good a chance to try it as any.

"Ok, but remember, you asked for it." I wrapped a force bubble around Emmett, and shielded him from gravity as I extended my leg and gave him my best thrust kick like we'd been practicing in aerobics class. I didn't try to hurt him with the kick, but he weighed less than nothing with gravity turned off inside the bubble. I couldn't make the bubble move, but the bubble would move with him. He went sailing off the deck and into the air.

"Hey! That's not what I meant! Let me down!" Emmett yelled, flailing around inside the force bubble.

"Ok."

He was about fifty feet in the air and halfway to the river when I released the force shield. Gravity suddenly worked again, and the ground came up and smacked him. He hit the ground with a thud and made an Emmett shaped hole in the lawn while everybody on the deck had a good laugh at his expense.

"That's not fair!" He yelled as he climbed out of the hole in the lawn. "I wanted you to try and hurt me!"

"Umm… I did. I think I proved your point. You just fell fifty feet. You're not hurt, are you?"

"No." Emmett said with a pout.

"I think you bruised his ego, Bella," Edward said with a smirk and then he turned to Emmett. "Why don't you pick up something really big now to show us all how strong you are so we can move on? I want to see what Bella can do."

"Me? I thought you guys were showing us your powers?"

"Hey, fair is fair," Emmett said. "We showed you ours, so you've got to show us yours." He was picking up a large boulder about the size of a Volkswagen as he spoke. He didn't seem to strain at all, and then set it back down with a thud that vibrated through the deck and rattled the windows in the house.

Charlie seemed to be in awe of Emmett's shear strength. It made me a little worried to show off what I could do. Then again, this was the opportunity I'd been looking for to cut loose and try some of the things I'd been practicing…

"Umm… It's Rose's turn," I hedged, but I had a feeling Rosalie wasn't going to give anything up. I knew there was more to her than she was letting on, but she didn't want to say anything about it.

Rose shrugged. "I'm good with machines and computers, nothing to show off. Besides, you've already seen my shtick. I told you what you said in your car when you got here."

"C'mon, Bella, It's your turn." Emmett persisted. "Trinity's not going to give anything up, so it's your turn."

"Trinity? Like Neo's girlfriend in the Matrix, Trinity?" That was interesting. Then it finally clicked. I knew what she was, but it still didn't explain everything.

"I told you not to call me that, Emmett!" Rose said. It seemed to make her mad "I might need a nickname when we're in the field, but that's the only time I'll use it, got it?!"

"Fine, Rosie." Then Emmett turned back to me. "So what's it gonna be? Are you gonna cut loose and show us what you've got, or are you gonna chicken out?"

I glanced at Charlie a little apprehensively. I didn't want him to change how he felt about me. I didn't want him to be scared of me.

"It'll be ok, Bella" Edward said, glancing back and forth between me and Charlie. "I showed you what I could do in class. It'll be alright, or we'll make it alright, ok?"

He was telling me he'd make Charlie ok with it if I freaked him out. I didn't want that either, but I knew I had to do this. They all wanted to know what they were dealing with. It was the only way they'd ever trust me, so I might as well show them. Everybody else had done it, so I might as well lay my cards on the table too.

"Ok… Everyone stay on the deck. I can shield you here if things get out of hand…" I took off my jacket and handed my purse and the jacket to Charlie as I spoke. I toed off my shoes and ankle socks, and then stuffed my socks inside my shoes before walking to the edge of the deck and out onto the lawn. I had a tendency to melt the shoes right off my feet when I did something like this, and they were brand new shoes. I hadn't tried this at full power before. I'd only ever tried it indoors and I had to hold back so I didn't burn down the house. I knew I was going to use all the same powers I was familiar with, just in different more powerful combinations.

I walked until I thought I was a safe distance from the deck so I wouldn't burn through it or set it on fire. "Are there any satellites overhead that can observe what we're doing here, Rose?" I asked.

She wore a contemplative look for a second, and then replied, "We should be clear for at least an hour before there's another fly by close enough to matter. Why does it matter if there are any satellites?"

"I'm just playing it safe. I've been fooling around with this for a while, but I never had an opportunity to try it outside where I could really cut loose. I knew it was risky if somebody spotted me."

"You think what you do is visible from space?" Rose asked incredulously.

I shrugged, "You tell me."

That was all I needed to know, that we wouldn't be observed. The neighbors might see, but they'd make their reports to Charlie and Edward could work damage control. I hadn't done this outside before because I was pretty sure it would be visible from orbit to surveillance satellites, and it just wasn't the same indoors because I couldn't cut loose without burning down the house.

I crouched low on the lawn, and then popped my shield and turned off the force of gravity holding me down as I pushed off from the ground and soared into the air. Momentum and inertia would only carry me so far, though. I still had to deal with resistance from the air, and drag would slow me to a stop, regardless of whether I was weightless or not. I stopped resisting my power as I let the energy flow and my natural radiance expand until I knew I had to be radiating visible light like a lighthouse beacon or a bank of halogen spotlights.

I reached out with my senses, now that I wasn't holding anything back, and I could literally feel the earth's magnetic field. It was time to see what I could really do with this. I was high enough now so I wouldn't set the lawn on fire and I cut loose with an ionized particle stream, ionizing and accelerating the air around me in a stream of charged particles that I knew would react with the earth's magnetic field surrounding the planet. The thrust carried me upwards, and I moved faster as I shot up into the night sky like a bullet out of a gun leaving a trail of golden ionized particles behind me like a comets tail.

I hadn't dared to look down yet, but I knew I had too. I steeled my nerves and looked down at the ground. The house was a tiny white dot below me surrounded by a pool of light from the lights around the back of the house. I could see Forks to the south, laid out like a tiny oblong diamond shaped patch of civilization in the middle of the vast green forest. There were other lights from houses widely scattered through the forest around the north of town.

So far I knew I could go up, and going down was as easy as turning off the force shield. Of course, I'd develop an awful lot of inertia moving in the wrong direction if I did that, and I didn't want to leave a Bella shaped hole when I hit the ground like Emmett had.

It was easy to use the natural magnetic fields I could feel around me to rotate so I was positioned horizontally relative to the ground. I used the ionized particle stream like a jet engine to move laterally by directing the particle stream horizontally behind me instead of down and started covering ground distance as fast as I'd gone up. I didn't fool around seeing how fast I could really go for now. I was certain I could probably move at least as fast as a fast jet plane, but I wanted to stay local and not stray into airspace where I might be observed.

I modified the gravity field gradient so I had some weight, and I started to move down at an angle. I played around with maneuvering for a couple of minutes until I got the hang of moving around to go where I wanted to. It was as easy as thinking about where I wanted to be and I could move in that direction. I swooped down to treetop level and soared into the yard behind the Cullens house.

"That is so cool!" I heard Emmett exclaim excitedly, holding his hand up to shield his eyes from the brilliant radiance I was throwing off.

Everyone was still standing on the deck watching and there were some awed and shocked looks on the faces below me. This was definitely cool. Now for the scary part.

"Yeah, it is kind of cool, isn't it?" I yelled back at him. "Watch the practice tree," I yelled, and then moved to hover just at this side of the river, about fifty feet off the ground.

That first day at Charlie's house, I'd let the radiance engulf my hands and I'd boiled a coffee cup full of tap water for him as a demonstration of my ability. I'd learned how to do that before I could walk to start practicing control. My power had increased significantly since then.

I held my arms out at my sides and generated two golden beams of light from the palms of my hands. The lights didn't do anything themselves, but they were good for targeting and acted as tracers. It was easy to think about holding out your hand and pointing it at something. It was something else altogether to truly know just what exactly your hand was actually pointed at. This way I knew what I was going to hit when I decided to reach out and touch someone. Once the beams converged on the tree trunk, I pulsed a high intensity burst of microwaves through the light beams.

The sap and water in the tree trunk instantaneously flash boiled and vaporized to steam. Shards of wood and chunks of tree trunk flew two hundred yard in every direction when the tree trunk exploded like a bomb. Bits of tree rained against my shield in a lethal barrage and I was buffeted by the shockwave of the blast, but I held my position and didn't let the blast break my concentration. A six foot length of the gnarled cedar tree trunk was vaporized and disintegrated in the blink of an eye as debris and shrapnel was scattered across the yard in a deadly hail of flying death. The top of the hundred foot tree cart wheeled away from the massive explosion into the forest like a twig caught up in a hurricane and the stump was a mangled smoking ruin where the enormous tree had stood moments before.

I used my hold on the magnetic fields to rotate in place, and then directed an ionized particle stream behind me to move back towards the porch. I waited until I was close and almost touching the ground to cut the field and shut down. The brilliant golden radiance faded as my feet touched the ground at the base of the stairs and I walked up the steps onto the deck. The deck was covered with wood shrapnel and bits of tree even this far away except for the where my shield had protected Charlie and the Cullens. The outline of the force bubble that had surrounded them and protected the windows in the wall behind them was obvious from the pattern of debris on the deck.

"That was so cool!" Emmett enthused.

"You can fly?" Charlie asked, sounding awed.

"Umm… Yeah… Pretty much. I can cancel gravity with my shield to make myself weightless, like what I did to Emmett. My ability to control radiation and electromagnetic effects lets me move and steer. When you put all that together it kind of makes flying possible."

"You were throwing off a lot of visible light when you did that," Rose said, "anyone that looked up for ten miles saw that stunt."

"That's why I asked about satellites. I figured anyone local that reported it would call Charlie."

Rose nodded. "I suppose that's logical. I'll monitor the situation."

The looks of awe were fading, and were replaced by serious looks of consideration as they thought about the ramifications of my abilities and what I could do.

"How did you blow up the tree?" Jasper asked. "What kind of energy beams were those?"

"The lights were just that, light beams for targeting, simple accelerated photons to act as tracers really. They wouldn't do anything on their own and it would take way too much energy to make a laser that powerful. Once I knew I was on target, I just pulsed high intensity microwaves at the tree to flash boil the water in the trunk. I don't like to miss, but I could do it without the tracers if I had too. It might sound easy, but how do you know exactly where your hand is pointed? It matters when people can die.

"I can cut through steel or metal the same way, but it's easier with a focused gamma radiation beam thrown into the mix to destabilize the molecular structure of the metallic elements. It makes it easier for the microwaves to excite and heat the metal to vaporize it. Things can get dicey when you start messing around with the molecular structure of matter, though..."

Jasper nodded. "So if you did that to a person…"

"It's messy. They blow up just like the tree. Kind of like a poodle in a microwave oven. Bullet's a cleaner death, at least there are remains left to identify."

Jasper nodded again as I reached for my purse from Charlie. He seemed startled, and then let me have it. I opened it and took out a cigarette. There was no sense hiding anything now, so I held my finger tip to the end of the cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag on the tobacco.

"You know, Bella, those aren't very healthy for a girl your age…" Carlisle began.

I shrugged. "I heal fast too. I might not be a hundred years old, but these aren't going to kill me. I'll probably catch a bullet before I ever have to deal with lung cancer. The Shop wants me out of the picture. I'm too dangerous for them to leave walking around."

"You're not so dangerous…" Edward began but Emmett interrupted him.

"Wait, you're a second generation burner, right?" Emmett asked. "You've got the full power set, right? You'd have to have it all to be able to manipulate high energy radiation and particle affects the way you do."

"Burner?" Charlie said. "I thought you said you were a firefly?"

"Firefly, huh?" Emmett said, a little questioningly. "Where did you come up with that? You've got a pretty awesome shield/burner combination going, but I never heard of a firefly before."

"I wasn't exactly expecting to run into a lot of people with abilities out here. I thought it was just going to be me and Charlie here in Forks until I was dead or had to run for it again. Besides, Mr. Name-game, if you can be Power Man, then I can be a firefly."

"Fine, it's your power, call it whatever you want to call it, but you're not a firefly, you're a phoenix."

"No, I'm from Phoenix."

"It fits, and you know it. You've got the full power set, right?"

"You need to stop ripping off comic books, Emmett. You know what happened to Phoenix in the X-men, Right?"

"You're cooler than Jean Grey. You can handle it."

"Fine, but if you try to stick me in a red spandex cat suit with a gold sash around the waist, I am so going to kick your ass."

"Actually I was thinking green…" Emmett chuckled when I glared at him. "I'll worry about my ass; you can go McGee on their asses, right?"

I glared at Emmett, and my eyes narrowed. "Maybe... That's none of your business. I've done enough crazy shit without having that hang over my head too." He was moving into dangerous territory with this.

"McGee? What are you talking about now?" Charlie asked.

"Somebody I might have known a long time ago. It's in the past. Let it lay, Emmett."

"I think this is something we should explore," Jasper said. "We should know your full potential so we can plan accordingly. Have you ever tried it?"

"No! Are you fucking crazy? That's not something you can just play around with. Not without having the air force, the army, the navy and half the goddamn government breathing down your neck. There are international treaties banning that sort of thing for god's sake! I've got enough spooks chasing me to worry about without pulling a McGee!"

"Who the hell is this McGee?" Charlie asked again, sounding exasperated.

"Rose?" Emmett asked. "You want to bring the Chief up to speed?"

Rose got a blank look for a minute, and then started talking like she was reading a report, or reciting from memory.

"Charlene "Charlie" McGee, born 1983 – deceased unknown, daughter of Andrew "Andy" McGee and Victoria McGee nee Tomlinson.

"During their college years, prior to their marriage, the McGee's had participated in a Shop sponsored experiment dealing with 'Lot 6', a drug with hallucinogenic effects similar to LSD which had proven capabilities to trigger meta-human enhancement. The drug gave Victoria McGee minor telepathic abilities, and Andy McGee an autohypnotic mind domination ability commonly referred to as 'the Push'. Both Andy McGee and Victoria McGee's powers were physiologically limited; in Andy McGee's case, overuse of the Push gave him crippling migraine headaches and minute brain hemorrhages. Their daughter, Charlie McGee, developed a frighteningly powerful pyrokinetic ability, with the full extent of her power unknown.

"Victoria McGee was initially thought to have been executed by the Shop in a botched attempt to take Charlie McGee into custody for experimentation and testing. Subsequent evidence would tend to indicate that Victoria McGee, now once again using her maiden name, Victoria Tomlinson was recruited by the shop as a field operative, and that she now has manifested a dodger ability in addition to the previously identified telepathic ability. Unconfirmed reports would tend to indicate that her telepathic ability has increased in strength and functionality with the ability to influence other minds although not of sufficient magnitude to actually be classified as a push ability.

"Charlie McGee and Andy McGee were known fugitives under active Shop pursuit and on the run from the government agency known as The Shop from 1985 - 1990. They were taken into custody at the Mander's farm incident in 1991. The pair was incarcerated for six months at a Shop research facility located in the D.C. suburb of Longmont, Virginia.

"Charlie McGee and Andy McGee subsequently escaped from the Longmont, Virginia facility in 1991 as a result of Andy McGee's push ability. Andy McGee was mortally wounded in the escape attempt. The grief stricken and furious Charlie McGee destroyed the Longmont, Virginia facility. Initial reports of the incident report her striking out with her pyrokinetic ability, destroying vehicles, buildings and attacking facility personnel. Few of the facility personnel escaped. The military was called in to deal with the incident, and a battalion strength regular army unit was dispatched to surround the site and neutralize the threat.

"The Longmont, Virginia facility was subsequently destroyed by a high energy thermal explosion that was equated to a tactical nuclear strike in the fifteen to twenty kiloton range, with total loss of military and civilian assets within a two mile radius of the facility. The event was covered up by the government, and released to the media services as a terrorist firebomb attack, although all that remained of the site was a glass lined crater.

"The Shop quickly began a massive manhunt for Charlie McGee. Unconfirmed reports indicated she was seen on the Mander's farm in 1992. Some rumors placed her in New York City shortly thereafter. There is some speculation that she tried to go public, telling her story to Rolling Stone magazine which she considered to be an unbiased, honest media source with no ties to the government. There have been no further sightings of Charlie McGee since 1993."

"Yeah, because she's fucking dead! She nuked Longmont, and then tried to go public, and the Shop whacked her. They couldn't let her walk away after she nuked a government research lab! There was no way they were going to let her go public either. The reporters she talked to are all dead. Anyone that ever talked to her is dead. They buried her story almost as deep as her ashes, so don't ask me if I'm going to pull a McGee. I've got enough people chasing me, and let me tell you, Victoria Tomlinson is a total bitch!"

"How do you know she nuked the facility, Bella?" Carlisle asked. "Are you sure? It might have been something else…"

"I was there, ok? I saw it happen. I was only two years old, but I remember the mushroom cloud. I felt her do it. We were still in the danger zone for the shock wave from the blast, but I shielded us until the firestorm cleared and Renee could run again. We ran like hell and never looked back. Everybody was too busy looking for Charlie to worry about us and we slipped away. Renee found Phil and we settled down to live our lives again until that bitch and her trained dogs caught up with us. Then Phil was dead and we were running again.

"Renee sacrificed herself so I could get away, and now I'm here. I thought maybe I'd be able to settle down long enough to finish high school, and then maybe disappear onto some college campus for four more years to go to school someplace. I don't want to fight them. I just want them to leave me alone so I can live my life."

"Those are admirable goals, Bella, but you have to understand that they aren't going to stop chasing any of us," Carlisle said. "The only chance any of us has of living a normal life is to shut them down and stop them."

"You can't shut them down! They're the government! They aren't going to stop! The only way to stop them is to go public, and that's a death sentence. They'll never let this kind of story reach the public, and even if it did, they'd spin it to make us all out to be monsters and turn public opinion against us."

"We can try, Bella." Emmett said. "If we help people, shut down enough of their operations, make it too expensive for them to fight us, maybe they'll start to leave us alone. They can't lie about everything that happens if there are enough witnesses. We can tell our side of the story, get some media exposure. Maybe get some news coverage…"

"We aren't superheroes, Emmett! When I zap somebody they die! It doesn't knock them out so they can get back up again or go to the hospital! They explode and their guts go flying across the room to splash against the wall! Do you want that on the nightly news? Do you want me to take out their headquarters? Blow up some buildings and leave smoking holes in the ground? We're talking a tactical nuke, and that's the smallest I got. Ten to twenty kilotons! That's as big as the bomb that took out Hiroshima! Two hundred thousand dead! Is that what you want? When Charlie nuked Longmont, it killed every living thing in a two mile radius! Maybe they should put a bullet in me! I'm a walking talking weapon of mass destruction!"

"Are you a student of history, Bella?" Carlisle asked.

This was a new argument. I took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down. "A little… I like history."

"Good, because I was there when a lot of it happened. Are you familiar with the United States Bill of Rights?"

"Yes, I suppose so. That's the basic guarantee of freedoms, freedom of speech, religion, you know, stuff like that."

"Yes, exactly, stuff like that. Then you're familiar with the second amendment, correct?"

"The right to keep and bear arms? Sure, but what does the right to own a gun have to do with this."

"Modern interpretations of the second amendment have generally been about gun control, but that wasn't the intention of the original founding fathers when they wrote those words. The actual text of the second amendment reads, and I quote, "_A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed._"

"So you're saying only the army should have guns? What does that have to do with us?"

"Not exactly, that isn't what it says either, although some people would like to read it that way. They weren't talking about your right to own a deer rifle to go hunting, or a hand gun to protect your home. Those rights were universally assumed as being natural and unalienable personal property rights and they never in their wildest dreams would have assumed that someday people would challenge those rights any more than they'd challenge your right to own a hammer, a saw or a pocket knife."

"Umm… Ok, so what's so important about the second amendment then?"

"The words, _a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State. _There were no standing armies at that time. Governments didn't pay troops to train and live on army bases unless they were fighting a war. There was a small force of professional soldiers to act as officers and training cadre in the event of a war, but when the governments needed troops, they called up the militia. Ordinary citizens who would bring the weapons they kept in their homes to come form an army.

"There were no weapons then that required special training or trained experts to operate. There were some specialized warships, but for the most part, regular merchant ships were just as powerful as most of the ships the navies of the world operated. The guns people owned and kept in their homes were just as powerful as anything any army had. The intent of the second amendment is that individual citizens should own and maintain military grade weapons so when necessary they could be called up as a citizen's militia to defend the country."

"Oh…"

"There was another reason to write that amendment."

"Ok, I'm listening." I had an Idea where he was going with this, but I had to wait to hear him say it before I'd believe it.

"The people of the United States had just fought a war against tyranny and oppression, and then set up a new style of government. They feared the government becoming too strong and oppressive like the government they had just fought a war against. There had already been talk of offering a crown to George Washington and setting up an aristocratic form of government in the United States like what was normal in Europe at that time. That's why there was so much talk of states' rights and the will of the people, and keeping power in the hands of the people. The main idea was to limit the power of the federal government and keep the individual states strong and relatively independent.

"The founding fathers wanted the people of the United States to have access to military grade weapons to maintain a Free State. They wanted them to have those weapons in case they had to call up the militia to overthrow the federal government and kick them out to start over again."

"You want to overthrow the government and replace it?!"

"Not necessarily. I know parts of the government work and the people in those positions of power feel just as strongly about personal freedoms as you and I do. I'd like to fix the government and get rid of the bad parts that think they can walk all over the Bill of Rights and hunt us and experiment on us and imprison us without due process. I want to eliminate the bureaucracy that thinks they can make their own rules that subvert the rights of the people they're supposed to serve. At the very least, we need to force a new constitutional convention to address some of the issues and grievances we have with the current situation."

"You want to start a revolution."

"Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin were all revolutionaries, and I didn't mind standing beside them then. I valued their ideas and ideals. The government they created is no longer living up to those ideals. It's become the very thing they feared when they wrote the second amendment, so maybe it's time for a change."

"They'll call us terrorists and make us fugitives from what they call justice."

"We're already fugitives because they aren't playing by the rules they wrote anymore. They're no longer defending the constitution, they've twisted it and stretched it to the breaking point to justify this reign of terror in the name of national security. None of us have done anything illegal that we weren't forced do to defend ourselves. They're ignoring our basic freedoms in the name of national security, and the general population doesn't even know what's going on. If the people knew the truth, they wouldn't stand for it. This is supposed to be a government of the people, not a government of bureaucracy.

"Every revolutionary has been called a terrorist until they won. The victors write the history. That's why Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, and Franklin are heroes. They won. If they'd lost, nobody would remember their names except some historians studying the colonial period."

Rose turned to Esme. "Dinner is ready. Shall we go inside and eat?"

"That sounds like an excellent Idea." Esme said. "We can sit down to dinner and discuss this some more."

"Fine, sounds good to me," I noticed there was an ashtray by the door and I crushed out my cigarette butt. Carlisle might like to preach the evils of smoking, but Alice was a smoker too. I didn't know about the rest.

Charlie had been quiet and contemplative through most of our discussion. Now he turned to Carlisle. "I've never been the militia sort, and to be honest, a lot of them scare me, but what you say makes sense. It isn't right that the government is doing to us what they're trying to get away with, and I've never been one to sit back and just take it."

I looked up at Carlisle and nodded. "So is this the part where I pledge my life, my fortune, and my sacred honor? Because I don't have a fortune, and my life isn't worth much if they catch me, but I'll honor your cause as long as it's about freedom and not simply kicking out the old boss to replace him with the new boss that does the same thing."

Carlisle chuckled "Gotta love the Who. You have my word. Now let's eat. You've got to be starving after that demonstration."

**Author's note:**

Well, I finally got this chapter posted. This was my initial inspiration to write this story, this chapter, and the very last final scene that won't be up until the end of the story. In the first draft of this story, this was about chapter eight. It was chapter eleven for a long time, and then eighteen. It's finally getting posted as chapter twenty-two.

I was a bit nervous to actually post this. I think I have a tendency to make Bella too powerful in my stories. I try to keep things logical and have explanations for why they work, but I don't want to fall into the trap of toning things down too much just to make then believable. I think that was one of the problems with the early X-men movies. They cut the powers back too much from what the fans were expecting to see after reading the comic books for years.

This is supposed to be fantastic and fiction, but that doesn't mean it can't be logical and believable too if enough of the facts fit. I don't know how Bella controls the forces she does, but the effect of her ability, the way it's explained, allows her to do the things she does.

That being said, I hope you don't think it's too over the top.

Charlie McGee was the main character in the novel _Firestarter _by Stephen King. Bella's powers are very similar, but explained differently in this story.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come.


	23. Date Night - Jacob Part 1

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

Warning: Teens behaving badly in this chapter. Don't do this at home. This is fiction.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 23 Date Night - Jacob

"You're really going to go through with this and go out with Jacob?" Alice asked as she put the finishing touches on my makeup for me. "I mean, he's hot and I get the muscles thing, but after everything we talked about, you're still going to do this?"

"I told him I'd go to dinner with him Alice. I'm not going to break our date and back out now. Besides, no matter what I decide, if I don't at least go out with him, I'll be second guessing my decision for the rest of my life. I'll wonder if I made the right choice if I don't explore all the options."

"Fine, so what are you two even going to talk about? You can't tell him anything about your real life."

"I don't know, Alice… We'll think of something. Besides, I'm not going to back out now. He's going to be here in a couple of minutes."

"Ok, well my work here is done..."

Tonight I had opted for the nice pair of jeans, my red sweater, and black ankle booties with a heel that was as high as I was willing to wear before I met Alice. She hadn't complained and let pick out my own outfit for my date tonight. Maybe she figured I'd totally screw it up and drive Jacob away, but I felt comfortable tonight. I was surprised she'd come over to do my hair and makeup for me, but some things she just couldn't pass up, no matter the situation.

"Thanks, Alice." I said as I looked in the mirror. I swear she was a miracle worker. I thought I looked amazing after she was done with me. It was more than I was capable of on my own, and I knew it would take me a lot of practice before I was able to duplicate what she had accomplished with my look.

"I know we all agreed to let you make your own mistakes and make up your own mind about what you want... If things go badly, do you want us to step in and do anything, or are you really on your own on this one?"

"Alice... nothing is going to go badly..."

"I hope not, but you haven't heard all the stories I have, and you won't let me tell them to you. I don't want you to get hurt, physically or emotionally. You're my friend, Bella, and I worry about you."

"Thank you for caring, but I'd prefer that you do nothing unless he turns out to be an axe murderer or something. If I'm in imminent danger of bodily harm then you have my permission to step in and rescue me. Otherwise, butt out and I'll deal with it."

"Ok... Have fun, I guess. Call me when you get home so I know you're still alive..."

"Alice!"

"Fine, I'm going..."

There was the sound of fabric ripping and a scent of ozone hung in the air as Alice vanished.

Jacob would be here anytime now, but I didn't want to go downstairs to wait for him to show up. I didn't think Charlie would lecture me about going out with Jacob, although he might ask awkward questions I couldn't answer. I knew he wouldn't say anything in front of my date, so I wasn't taking any chances.

I heard Jacob's truck driving down the street before I went downstairs. I shrugged into my black leather jacket and grabbed my purse before I went down to meet him. Charlie looked up when he heard me on the stairs.

"That's a different look than the outfit you wore to go out with Edward," Charlie commented.

I wanted to say I hadn't gone out with Edward, at least not officially, but we both knew it would be a lie so I didn't push the issue.

I shrugged. "Jacob is a different sort of guy than Edward. He's more working class, rock'n'roll, pickup truck guy, while Edward is your more urbane, upscale, educated, jazz and white wine kind of guy. Jacob is content to be an auto mechanic and knows he's never going to be rich. Edward wants to study medicine, and he's already kind of rich, two completely different worlds. Besides, Alice picked out the other outfit. This is what I would have worn if I'd had a choice in the matter. This is who I am. That other outfit was who they want me to be."

Charlie nodded. He knew how pushy Alice could be about clothes and fashion. "There's nothing wrong with having plenty of money, Bella. It makes life easier and rich guys are just as easy to date as poor ones."

"Are you telling me I should date Edward because his family has money?"

"Nope, that's completely up to you. I just wonder if you know what you're doing."

"I don't have the first clue. I'm playing this totally by ear and just trusting my gut on this. I can't say I'm working from experience because I've never done any of this before, but there's one way to learn..."

"You don't have to do it all the hard way, Bella... I know I'm not much help, but there has to be somebody you can talk to for advice..."

"It's times like this that I miss Renee the most. I could talk to her about things like this. So far everyone I could possibly ask for advice is biased in favor of Edward for one reason or another. Either their related to him, or they think I'm insane not to jump at the opportunity to go out with him. Surprisingly, Esme is the most impartial, but she's still his mother."

"Maybe that ought to tell you something."

"Jacob deserves a chance too. I really like Edward. I'll go out with Edward again, but I'm not making any decisions before I've even dated both of them."

There was a knock on the door, and I looked back at Charlie, sitting in his easy chair in the living room.

"Shouldn't you be cleaning your shotgun or something?"

"You're the one who pointed out that I've known Jacob since he was in diapers. I don't need to put the fear of god in him. He already knows that if he doesn't respect you, his life is over. Are you going to let him in?"

I walked to the door and opened it to let Jacob in, and had to do a double take when I saw the guy standing there in the doorway. It had been less than a week since he'd been here. I'd seen him last Friday at the wrestling meet, and he'd come over on Sunday, but he looked noticeably different. He looked bigger if that was even possible with more defined muscles and looked at least an inch taller. He'd looked older than sixteen before, but he could probably buy beer without getting carded now.

"Hey, Jake, c'mon in for a minute," I said and stepped back so Jacob could come in.

"Hi, Bella, wow you look beautiful tonight. Of course you look beautiful all the time, but your hair is different…"

"Alice showed me some tricks Saturday. She's really good with that stuff…"

"Hi, Jake," Charlie said, getting up to come over to talk to us before we left. "So what do you kids have planned tonight?"

"We're going to dinner," Jacob turned to me. "You like Mexican, right?"

"Sure, Mexican is fine…"

"So, the Plaza Jalisco for dinner, and then we're kind of playing it by ear. We might catch a movie, or go dancing. Whatever sounds like fun."

"So, Port Angeles? I don't mind you kids going to dinner, or out of town as long as I know where you're going. Bella's supposed to be in by midnight on the weekend."

"Don't you think a curfew is kind of old fashioned?" Jacob asked.

Charlie shrugged. "We decided on midnight so I'd know when to expect Bella home. Do your plans require more time? I'm not opposed to her staying out later if she has plans, as long as she lets me know first. Do you need to be out later than midnight? What's the plan?"

"I guess midnights cool..." Jacob conceded.

"Then I'll expect her home by twelve unless she calls me. You kids have fun."

Telling us to have fun was Charlie's dismissal and we took the opportunity to get out while we could before he asked anymore questions. Jacob reached for my hand and led me out the door and closed it behind us. We walked out to his truck, but he let my hand go and went directly to the driver door to get in. He didn't assume that I'd have any trouble getting in. I was perfectly capable of opening the door by myself, but it was completely different than how Edward treated me.

I got into the truck and we were driving down the road before I asked him the question.

"Ok, so Mexican for dinner is cool. What are we really doing for the rest of the night? I know we aren't going dancing. I don't dance"

"I thought all girls loved to dance? Do you want to go to the movies in Port Angeles? I just told Charlie that to get him off our backs, but that's fine with me if you want to go. We can party a little, kick back and watch the show."

"Partying?" I was cool with cutting loose every now and then and blowing off a little steam, but I didn't want things to get too out of hand. Sunday was cool, but I didn't want it to become a regular thing.

"You know… Like Sunday, we can burn some smoke and get loose. You're cool with that, right?"

"Ok…" Somehow I felt comfortable with Jacob even if I wasn't completely comfortable with what he had planned for us tonight. It was really pushing the envelope on my comfort zone, but these were the kind of things I needed to know if I was going to make hard decisions like who I wanted to date and who I told it was over.

Dinner was nice. The restaurant was a quaint little Mexican place that was a franchise store in a larger chain of restaurants. It was obvious that the building had started life as a gas station, but had been remodeled as a restaurant. The lighting was dim, the food was good, and it was pretty slow being early on a Friday night. We were seated immediately in a private corner booth and the service was prompt.

The hostess seated us and placed a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa on the table, and then asked for our drink order as she laid menus on the table. I was about to order a Pepsi, but Jacob spoke up and ordered for us both before I could speak.

"Go ahead and bring us a couple of long necks, Maria."

The hostess glanced at me, but didn't comment on my apparent youth, and looked back at Jacob. "Sure, Jake, but take it easy, ok? I don't want no trouble."

"No trouble here. Just dinner, and then we're on our way. Give us a minute and we'll be ready to order."

The hostess nodded and walked away to get our drinks. I picked up my menu and browsed the entrees as we chatted.

"They serve you here? Do they know how old you are?"

Jacob shrugged. "They've never carded me. I come in here with the guys from work sometimes, and I cut Maria and the other crew a break on their work at the shop. I just did her brakes and cut her a sweet deal. I scratch their back and they scratch mine. It makes things go smooth that way. She probably thinks I'm robbing the cradle instead of the other way around, but it's the first time I've brought a date here."

"So do you date a lot of girls?"

"No, not really… I've been on a date before, and I've had a girlfriend, but they were just the kind of brief relationships you have growing up. You know, the kind of boyfriend girlfriend thing in school that might last a couple of days or weeks, maybe a couple of dates and then it's over as easy as it started. Sometimes feelings get hurt, but you're still friends as often as not. The longest I've ever dated anyone was a couple of months, but nothing that ever approached permanent or even long term…"

"Yeah, that's about the same for me," I lied. "I've gone out before, but I've never had a steady boyfriend."

"How did your date with Edward go? Are you going to see him again?"

"I didn't go on a date with Edward. I went to the Cullens to spend the day and we all went out to dinner. I hung out with Alice as much as Edward. Beyond that, I'm not going to talk about what I did with them or discuss any of that with you. That's not fair to them. I won't discuss you with him, and I'm not going to talk about my day with him with you. Tonight is about us. Let's leave it at that or take me home if you can't handle that."

"Ok, I suppose that's fair. You're mine tonight and it's just the two of us. I'm cool with that if you are."

Maria came back and set our beers on cocktail napkins on the table and took out her pad to take our order. Jake and I each ordered a large dinner platter of Fajitas. I ordered pork, and Jacob ordered steak, and the waitress left to turn in our order.

Jacob picked up his beer and took a long pull at the bottle, downing a third of it. I'd had beer before, but it wasn't something I drank with any sort of regularity. I picked up my bottle and sipped it to be polite, but I was going to have to go easy if I didn't want to get drunk. I wasn't a large person, and I knew I'd be more than a little tipsy from a couple of beers.

I had to get some food into my system before I drank much more, or it would go straight to my head. I had no allusions of trying to match Jacob beer for beer, or I would be seriously drunk before he caught a decent buzz. He was a bigger person with more body mass, and this was something he was used to and could handle.

I was relieved when our food showed up and I could dig into dinner. We each were served a sizzling metal platter of grilled meat with grilled peppers, onions and tomatoes. There were side plates with refried beans, rice and shredded lettuce with sour cream and guacamole garnish, and then a smaller plate with steamed tortillas wrapped in foil to keep them warm.

The meal was excellent, and I enjoyed it. The food was hot and I used the hot sauce on the table to spice it up a little too. I found myself drinking the beer to wash down my food, and it seemed to blend with what I was eating, cooling the fire of the spicy food. I was surprised when I finished my first bottle and the waitress brought me another full one. I cleared my platter and ate all of the rice and beans besides. There weren't any leftovers when were finished.

I excused myself to go to the restroom to wash my hands and check my makeup while Jacob waited for the bill. We'd already agreed we weren't ordering dessert and were ready to leave once I got back.

"You're seriously going to go to Port Angeles with him after he's been drinking?" Alice exclaimed as I walked into the ladies room. I nearly jumped a foot and popped my shield on reflex I was so startled.

"God, you already smell like a brewery, and that was just dinner…"

"God, Alice, don't do that to me! You practically scared me to death!" I dropped the shield as I stepped up to the sink to wash my hands.

"Good! Maybe I'll scare some sense into you. You're going to get into his truck with him and let him drive? Do you even have a designated driver? Both of you are drinking, and he wants you to party with him too!"

"He's only had two beers. He isn't drunk. I'm sure he'd test under the legal limit. He's a pretty big guy."

"You're already drunk, Bella, but you don't even know it yet. How are you going to get home if he drinks another half a dozen beers and gets stoned besides?"

"Alice, I thought you were going to butt out and let me make my own mistakes? People go out and party all the time. Most of them make it home ok. I won't let him drink anymore, and you know a little pot doesn't affect your ability to drive."

"You said I had permission to step in and rescue you if you were in imminent danger of bodily harm. I think this qualifies."

"Thank you for your concern, but don't tell me you've never gotten drunk with Jasper before. I have had a beer or three before. Besides, I know my limits. I have no intention of going out and getting plastered to the point where I can't walk…"

"Sure, but I'm married to him! This isn't exactly something you do on a first date, Bella. This is how you end up waking up in some strange guy's bed, or with embarrassing tattoos you don't remember getting…"

"Wait! Back up! You're married to him! You never said anything about marrying him! I thought he was your boyfriend… You don't wear a ring…"

"Umm… Well yeah… I can't exactly wear a wedding ring to high school. People would talk. You didn't think we were just living together, did you? Of course I married him."

"We have to talk, Alice, but I don't have time right now. Jacob is waiting for me."

"You're really going to do this?"

"I'm not going to get hurt, Alice. I'm not going to get so drunk I can't shield us."

"Sounds like famous last words to me. So help me, if I have to hold your hair while you're puking in the toilet, I'm so kicking your ass while I do it!"

"Thanks, Alice. I guess if we're too drunk to drive, you can jump us home if you want to."

"Maybe I'll just steal his keys and leave you to freeze on the side of the road."

"I don't get cold, and I'm sure Jacob would find a way to keep me warm…"

"You are so going to regret this…" and then Alice vanished with a ripping fabric sound.

I dried my hands and checked my makeup in the mirror. There wasn't much that needed touching up. I just reapplied a little lipstick, and then walked back out into the restaurant. Jacob was waiting up by the cashier and I went over to meet him.

"There you are. I was about to send in a search party to look for you. I thought maybe you climbed out the window or something to get away." Jacob joked with a smile on his face.

"I'm not ready to run away screaming yet. Are we ready to go?"

"Sure, sure," Jacob helped me back into my jacket and we left to walk back out to his truck.

Jacob pulled back out onto the highway and headed north out of town. The trip to Port Angeles flew by and didn't seem like an hour.

We talked about the movies that were playing. The same films that had been there last week were still playing. Jacob seemed relieved that I wasn't going to make him take me to see the vampire romance. He called it a chick flick, but I knew he would have suffered through it if I'd said I wanted to see it again. I'd missed most of it last time, so it wouldn't be a hardship to sit through it again and see the parts I'd missed.

I still didn't want to see the romantic comedy, so we settled on the action adventure flick. I could suffer through it and Jacob seemed excited to see it. I actually liked action adventure movies, but the shoot'em ups had lost some of their allure after I'd been in real fire fight or two for real.

Jacob changed the subject after we'd settled on a movie.

"So, Sam is hanging around a lot more often all of a sudden."

"Really? What's up with that? Does he know you're seeing me?"

Jacob shrugged. "Not really. I don't share details of my personal life with him. We were never friends and we didn't hang out. Now all of a sudden, it's like he wants to be my best bud, like he even cares about me. His protectors want to hang out with me too. It's like they want me to join their gang or something."

"Yeah? Did he offer or something?"

"Nothing formal, it's not like they jump you in or anything. They're all pretty legit now. It's weird though, it's like they went from treating me like a kid to suddenly treating me like one of them, only I know they still have secrets. They don't tell me everything and they take off at night into the forest and just disappear.

"I'm pretty good in the forest. I can track and hunt and read a map. I've spent weeks alone in the forest with nothing but a day pack and a knife and lived off the land. These guys make me look like a wet behind the ears cub scout on his first overnight camping trip.

"I've tried to follow them a couple of times. They literally disappear into the forest without a trace."

"That's weird, Jake…"

"Yeah, but not so weird that I haven't heard stories like this before… I know this is going to sound completely off the wall, but this sounds like stories from our tribal legends."

"What kind of legends?"

"I'm not supposed to talk about them, Bella…"

"Oh… Ok…"

"You have secrets you won't tell me. You won't tell me what Sam is holding over your head."

"Because I don't want you to get hurt, Jake…"

"I don't give a shit about Sam. I hate that he thinks he has some secret that he can use to try and run you off if he wants."

"I don't think he can make me leave anymore, Jake. He has just as many secrets as I do. His are bigger than mine. I can throw it back in his face if he tries to pull anything. He can't run me off without risking me exposing his secrets too."

"That sounds like something that could blow up in your face, Bells. It sounds dangerous as hell to me."

"It is."

"So here's the thing. I don't like being outside the loop. Sam won't come clean and tell me everything. You won't tell me anything. How about we change that up? You tell me why Sam hates you, and I'll spill about the tribal legends."

"I don't know, Jake… I don't want you to hate me too…"

"I won't hate you. I care about you, Bella. I could never hate you."

"You might if you knew what my bargaining chip was with Sam."

"Well I guess I won't know if you don't tell me, but I'm gonna figure this out. Sam and his protectors will probably spill soon and just up and tell me anyhow. Do you want to tell me your side first, or do you want me to hear it from Sam?"

Jacob had a point. I'd rather he hear my side of the story if he was going to hear it at all. Besides, it wasn't fair to date him while I had secrets he didn't know about. I could tell him part of the story without spilling all the details to him. If he turned around and drove me home, I'd understand. If he pulled over and told me to get out, I'd have a ride in ten minutes if rose was listening, faster if she sent Alice.

"Ok, I'll trade secrets with you. Who goes first?"

"I've been waiting longer. How about ladies first?"

"Ok... I guess there are things you don't know about me, Jacob..."

"Well, that much is obvious. What don't I know?"

"You know my mom and step dad are dead. Renee didn't die in a car accident, and Phil wasn't murdered in a home invasion robbery. The cops and the FBI tried to pin Phil's murder on me and Renee. They said we killed him for the insurance money..."

"Whoa...! No shit? What really happened?"

"Thank you for not asking if we did it or not. We didn't. Renee was being hunted by the government since she was in college. They arrested her when she was like twenty. She got away and dropped off the radar, and married Phil. Phil was killed by agents when they found her again and caught up with us."

"Ok, so they wanted your mom. Why does Sam hate you?"

"We didn't just get away, Jake. We had to shoot our way out and make a run for it. People chasing us are dead, or we wouldn't have gotten away. They've caught up to us more than once while we were running."

"So what are you saying, Bella?"

I took a deep breath and reached into my purse and pulled out my pistol for him to see.

"I'm saying I'm a wanted fugitive, and the FBI, the ATF, and half a dozen other agencies. Every law enforcement agency in the country is hunting me. I know how to use this, and people are dead because I don't miss when I aim my gun."

"Bad ass! Totally fucking bad ass! I knew you weren't some prissy little sweetness and light girly girl who sugar wouldn't melt in her mouth type! That takes some cojones to run from the law and make it work!"

"So you're not disgusted by me? You don't want to throw me out of your truck and tell me to go to hell or call nine one one?"

"Hell no! I'm no rat! Your secret is safe with me. So, what really happened to your mom then?"

"She lied to me and said we'd be harder to track if we split up. She had a plan to throw'em off our track and sent me to stay with Charlie while she disappeared. She really decided to try and go after the agents tracking us to take them on alone. They got her, but they lost my trail, tracking her, so I'm safe for a while. Maybe until I graduate from high school, Maybe longer. Then I disappear again and try to find my way back to normal, if that even exists."

"Ok, I can see that."

I stuffed the gun back in my purse. "Ok, I showed you mine. Now spill."

Jacob shrugged. "I never put much stock in the tribal legends..."

"I don't care if you believe them or not, just tell me."

"Ok. In ancient times, our great medicine chiefs learned the power of the spirit warrior. They were great shamans. Some could control the elements and call lightning and the north wind to drive our enemies from our lands. Some had the power to commune with nature and control the trees and beasts of the forest. Some could take the form of the great beasts of the mountains and forests to battle their enemies.

"The legends talk of one great chief, Taha Aki, who was the last great Spirit Warrior. He could leave his body and travel in spirit form to control the elements and ask the animals of the forest to aid his cause. He could summon the wolf, the bear and the cougar to fight for him.

"The legends say he was betrayed by another spirit warrior who stole his body to steal his place as chief. He possessed Taha Aki's body while he was spirit walking, and Taha Aki couldn't drive him out to return to his body. In desperation, he asked permission of the wolf to share his body and sent his spirit into the wolf's body.

"Taha Aki was able to defeat the usurper, but his own body was killed in the fight. His heart was so powerful that the legends say he was able to stand up and and transformed back into a man, and from that day forward, our people have claimed descent from the wolf."

"Ok, so you think the legends are true? Which parts? You think Sam is a Shaman or something and can commune with nature? What exactly does that mean?

"Hell, I don't know. All I know is when they go into the forest it's like they disappear and they aren't even there. Nobody's that good, but they don't even leave any tracks. It's like the ancient stories about the spirit warriors. The legends say the spirit warriors could move through the forest like wraiths and run as fast as the wind."

"Sounds to me like somebody was hitting the peace pipe a little too hard, or made up stories about what they dreamed after they got a hold of some serious peyote."

"Hey, I can get you some if you want to try it, some peyote or some 'shrooms..."

"No thanks, definitely out of my league. I've got to many people after my ass to be tripping on that shit. Besides, how do you have connections to get a hold of that shit?"

"It's a cute ass, I'll give you that, but I get it. Quil's grandfather uses that stuff for doing vision quests and shaman mumbo jumbo. He's shared it with Billy before. He's offered to show me before, but I turned him down. I could probably jack some if you wanted to try it, though."

"No thanks. Not my thing at all."

Jacob had stayed on Highway one oh one as it turned north and turned into a city street as it ran into the downtown part of Port Angeles. I was starting to get more familiar with the area and recognized that we were close to the Chinese Restaurant we'd gone to dinner at last Saturday.

I could see the Restaurant on the corner of the next cross street up ahead, and I knew it was the main drag of the little business district where the movie was. There were some shops and botiques up there too that I'd gone shopping at with Alice.

I figured we'd try to find a parking place up on First Street, but Jacob pulled over into a parking lot on the side of the road before we got to the intersection. I was kind of expecting him to at least park close to the street and up by the end of the parking lot closer to first street so we wouldn't have as far to walk to get to the theater.

Instead Jacob pulled into the back of the parking lot next to the trees. It looked like we were next to a park or a forested strip through the city. It was dark and there weren't any street lights back here. It was kind of secluded and I doubted if cars going by on the street would even be able to tell we were even sitting in the truck.

I reached for the door handle to open it and get out when Jacob shut off the Engine.

"Hang on, Bella," Jacob said, stopping me as I looked over at him. "We aren't in any hurry. We still have plenty of time before the movie starts. Let's hang out before we head over there."

"Ok..." I let go of the door and sat back against the seat.

Jacob reached into his pocket and took out his pipe and a little baggie of marijuana buds, and I knew why he'd parked back here out of the way now. He loaded the pipe and fired it up, taking a big hit, and then he passed it to me.

I knew what to expect this time. I held the pipe to my lips to take a hit off the pipe. It was different than smoking a cigarette, but it wasn't bad once you got the hang of it. I passed the pipe back to Jacob while holding the smoke in my lungs in for a couple of seconds before blowing it out. The smoke was harsher than cigarette smoke, but I knew what to expect.

Jacob took a hit and passed the pipe back to me. I took a hit and passed it back to him. The bud in the small bowl of the pipe didn't last long and Jacob tapped it out in the ash tray and refilled it with another chunk of bud. He fired it up, and then passed it back to me.

I knew I was getting high after the first bowl. I could feel that floaty happy feeling where everything just seemed funnier. I could feel my senses expand and I saw the world around me in more detail. It was easier to really seriously focus on one thing and concentrate on it, but that was kind of distracting. It was more of a euphoric happiness than being drunk. It made me more relaxed, but not in like a lazy way. It was more like a calm sense of well-being. I didn't lose myself, and I was still fully aware of everything I was doing, but it just felt different.

Jacob put his pipe away after the second bowl. He reached into an inside pocket of his jacket and took out a little bottle of eye drops and leaned back, dripping a couple of drops into each eye.

He passed the bottle to me. "Here, you want some?" He asked.

I took the bottle from him and pulled down the visor and looked in the vanity mirror. My eyes were seriously red and looked blood shot. I was a little nervous that I looked stoned, but I pushed it away and the feeling faded. I put the eye drops in and my eyes cleared up.

Some people had bad experiences with getting high on marijuana if they freaked out worried about getting caught and got paranoid and nervous. It was all in the mind set, and if you started worrying about it and let yourself dwell on the negative, you could have a seriously bad experience. I didn't let myself fall into that trap and concentrated on just being here with Jacob and going with the experience.

I handed the bottle back to Jacob and he put it back in his jacket.

"So, ready to go check out this movie now?" Jacob asked.

"Sure," I said.

Jacob nodded and opened his door to get out. I reached for my door as Jacob came around the truck to meet me. He held my hand when I slammed the door , and pulled me close into his side as we crossed the parking lot to head to the sidewalk.

It felt weird walking down the sidewalk with Jacob. I'd been here in this exact same spot with Edward last week as we walked past the Chinese restaurant to go to the movies.

Jacob bought our tickets and we went inside. I seriously had the munchies. It had been an hour since dinner and movie popcorn sounded really good about now. We walked to the concession stand and got in line. It was different than going to the movies with Edward. We always just seemed to walk right up to the counter, and I couldn't remember ever standing in a line with Edward.

I was looking over the menu trying to decide what I wanted. Jacob was holding me close with his arm around me while his finger played with the end of my hair, twirling it around his fingers. It was a little distracting, but I liked it and didn't make him stop.

Something caught my eye. I recognized the couple at the counter of the concession stand. Their backs were to me as they ordered and got their snacks. I'd recognize that curly brown hair anywhere. The guy standing next to her had blond hair and he was wearing a Forks letter jacket...

Jessica and Mike picked up their tub of popcorn and a couple of pops and started to turn away from the counter. I tried to turn away quickly, but I knew Jessica saw me. The look on her face was shocked, and then she looked like the cat who at the canary. This was gossip too good to pass up, and she just had to come talk to me.

"Hey, Bella," Jessica said, looking between me and Jacob. "So, where's Edward tonight? Is he parking the car or something?" She asked with a big smirk. I could tell she totally thought I was cheating on Edward.

"Umm... No. I guess Edward's at home tonight. Why do you ask?" I said, trying to play it off like nothing was up.

"Oh, no reason. I was just curious why you were at the movies with Jacob instead of your boyfriend." Jessica said trying to act innocent as she obviously accused me of infidelity. "Hi, Jacob," She said with a little wave and a glint of anticipation in her eye, wondering what I'd say.

I looked up at Jacob. "Will you excuse me for a minute?"

"Sure," Jacob said with a big smile on his face. "I'll get our snacks."

I stepped away and took Jessica by the hand. "C'mon, we need to talk," I said. She handed her things to Mike without saying a word and let me lead her to the ladies room.

"What is that smell, Bella?" Jessica said when we stepped inside the ladies room. She leaned closer and smelled my hair, and then looked me in the eye. "Your eyes are huge... You're totally stoned, aren't you?!"

"I'm not stoned..."

"You got high with Jacob before you came in! I know you've been smoking pot. I know what marijuana smells like."

"Ok, so maybe we smoked a little..."

"Do you have anymore?"

"No, you'd have to ask Jacob..."

"Huh, no thanks, I know what that costs... I can't believe this! You're out getting high with Jacob Black and totally cheating on Edward, aren't you?" Jessica said with a huge smirk on her face Like she'd just busted the story of the century

"Jess, Edward isn't my boyfriend," I said. She wasn't expecting that response.

"What?" She said, totally shocked. "Did you guys break up? You were totally like together with him all week! You guys were together in Biology today. You weren't fighting... He walked you to the gym. He kissed you on the cheek before you took off with Alice after school!"

"Edward and I are friends. He isn't my boyfriend. We date sometimes, but that's all. I have a date with him tomorrow night."

"You're going out with him tomorrow, but you're here with Jacob tonight?" Jessica said, seeming totally perplexed. "I don't get it... Are you just playing him? He's rich, but I didn't think you were that shallow..."

"No, I like Edward."

"But... Which one is your boyfriend then?"

"I don't have a boyfriend, Jessica. I've only even lived here two weeks. I'm so not ready to be in a relationship or make those kinds of decisions yet. I'm just getting to know people."

"You're dating both of them? And they both know it? How can you possibly get away with that? They let you?"

"Neither of them gets to decide who I can see and who I can't see. If they don't like it, then they don't have to ask me out. If they can't accept it, then they don't have to spend time with me."

"Wow, but you're like totally with Edward all the time... Everyone at school thinks he's your boyfriend. You guys have been together like since when you started school here... He's Edward Masen! He's like the hottest guy in school and he doesn't date anyone, and you're playing hard to get?!"

I shrugged "I'm not playing hard to get. Jacob just doesn't go to our school so nobody sees us together. We hang out sometimes when he comes into town. His dad is best friends with my dad. He asked me out and I said yes. There's nothing funny going on Jess."

"But what about the fight at the wrestling meet? I heard Jacob showed up and was harassing you. He was coming on to you, and Edward totally kicked his ass and told him to stay away from you..."

"That's not what happened at all. Jacob and his friends came to watch the meet. I was sitting with Jacob, watching Sara and the cheerleaders do their routine while Edward was in the locker room with the rest of the squad. We were going to go for a walk, and Edward got jealous and pushed Jacob. That's all."

"He got jealous because he's like totally your boyfriend and he saw you talking to another guy, Bella!"

"Well, I'm not going to put up with that. He's not my boyfriend. He hasn't asked me, and we haven't made any commitments or said we aren't going to see other people..."

"What would you say if he did ask you?"

"Umm... I don't know. I don't think I'm ready to decide yet."

"Then that's why he hasn't asked you! He can tell you'd totally shoot him down."

"Maybe..."

"Wow, I can't believe you're like this... You come off so sweet and nice at school, but you're like a total stoner slut, aren't you?"

"What?! I'm not..." I said, totally shocked that she'd even think that, let alone say it out loud.

"You're with Jacob tonight. I know what happens on a date with Jacob Black. He's like a total man whore."

"Umm... really?"

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know!. He's totally been in your pants if you hang out with him!"

"I'm not a slut! It's just a date, Jess..." Jessica noticed immediately that I didn't deny Jacob had been in my pants, but rather defended not being a slut. I could tell from the look in her eye that she knew something had happened.

"I get it, he's like totally hot, but I didn't think you were that kind of girl."

"I'm not that kind of girl...!"

"Well, you will be after tonight. That's what happens on a date with Jacob Black."

"Umm... How do you know, have you dated him?"

"No, but every other girl who's been on a date with him has come back with the same story. None of them are innocent anymore, if you know what I mean."

"Oh..."

"You have fun, Bella. See you Monday in school. I seriously want details about your weekend. This is going to be epic!"

Then Jessica was walking away out of the bathroom and I just stood there for a second, wondering what to do.

There was nothing I could do but finish my date so I went out to find Jacob.

I wasn't looking forward to school on Monday. This was going to be all over the school before I even got there Monday. I wouldn't be surprised if Jessica wasn't already spreading the story.

It hadn't been a secret that I was seeing Jacob and Edward, but now everybody was going to think I was sneaking around with Jacob behind Edward's back.

The rumors about Jacob were a little disturbing too. I knew what would have happened on Sunday if Charlie hadn't come home when he did. Another twenty minutes and everything Jessica had said would be true. I wasn't ready for that to happen with Jacob, or anybody else for that matter. I was going to have to be clear about that with Jacob so nothing like that happened before we got home tonight.

There was nothing I could do about Jessica now. I wasn't going to let her ruin my night.

Jacob was waiting in the lobby for me when I came out of the bathroom. He didn't look happy.

"Do you want to go home?" Jacob asked when I walked up to him.

"What? No. Why would I want to go home? Let's go watch the movie."

He seemed surprised. "I figured you wouldn't want to see me anymore after you talked to Jessica..."

"I don't care what Jessica says, Jacob. She's shallow and self-important, and I don't accept every word out of her mouth as gospel. I form my own opinions about the people I want to be with. We're friends, and I like you. Now, let's go watch the movie."

Jacob handed me my pop, and then led the way into the movie theater. I saw Mike and Jessica. They were in the same theater, and she just smirked as we passed their row. Jacob led me up to the back row of the theater, and it was like last Saturday night all over again as we found seats in the back row.

Nobody was sitting close to us, and I took off my jacket and laid my purse and jacket in the seat beside me. Jacob took off his jacket and laid it in the seat beside him.

Jacob pushed up the arm rest between us so there was nothing separating us as we sat side by side in the seats, waiting for the movie to start.

We sat eating our popcorn. We both had the munchies after smoking a couple of bowls in the truck before the movie started. It was fun and I liked sitting beside Jacob. The lights went down, and then the trailers for coming attractions started.

Jacob put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer once the lights dimmed. I could see Jessica sitting a couple of rows in front of us. She glanced back at us and just smirked as she saw how we were sitting. I resolved to ignore her and not let her ruin the movie for me.

I figured I didn't have to worry about Jessica snooping and checking to see what I was doing after the first half hour of the movie. Mike and Jessica certainly weren't watching the movie. They were totally making out and I doubted they even knew what the movie was about.

Jacob took the empty popcorn tub out of my hands and set in in the seat beside him. I felt him pull me closer, and then he was kissing my neck and nibbling on my ear. It tickled and I giggled lightly, trying to be quiet so I wouldn't disturb anyone who actually wanted to watch the movie.

"Jacob, knock that off, it tickles..." I teased.

"It's supposed to tickle," he breathed against my ear, sending tingles down my spine and raising goose bumps on my arms.

He reached for me and I felt his hot hand on my cheek as his fingers curled around my chin. He turned me to face him and then his lips were on mine.

I didn't try to fight him off and melted into the kiss. It wasn't like I couldn't say no... I was just so totally into anything he was doing to me, I didn't want to say no. It was like "no" was no longer a part of my vocabulary or that the concept even existed in my brain in the context of anything Jacob wanted to do to me. I gave in to the inevitable and kissed him back. My arms snaked around his neck as he pulled me closer, and my hands knotted in his hair as I ran my fingers through his silky black locks.

Jacobs tongue swept across my lips, tasting me and probing gently. My lips parted and the tip of his tongue touched mine. Electricity exploded down my spine and tingled all the was to my toes and fingertips.

It was slick and sweet and velvety and his tongue swirled around mine and teased me as he explored my mouth. His hands moved on my body and I almost forgot where we were. I reveled in Jacob's mouth on mine, his tongue caressing min, his strong arms holding me and his hands touching and caressing me.

I completely lost track of time and was still kissing him when the lights came up and I noticed people were leaving. I was shocked that the movie was over and I didn't have the first clue what had happened after the first forty minutes or so.

I pulled away and sat up, straightening my clothes, checking to make sure I was still wearing them and everything was in place and where it was supposed to be. I'd been so into making out with Jacob that I would have totally missed him unsnapping my bra, reaching into my sweater or popping the buttons open on my jeans. It was a little scary to think I'd been so out of it and so into him that I wouldn't have even cared about him touching me in a public place like this.

I realized anything he wanted to happen could have happened and I would have let him do it without complaining. It wasn't like I wanted it too... I knew I would have simply told him yes, and then probably regretted it later. I would have simply accepted anything that happened and gone along with it and been happy and enthusiastic that it was happening. It was like my brain turned off and all that mattered was kissing him and being with him and totally living in the moment...

"Did you enjoy the movie?" Jacob asked.

_(To be continued)_

**Author's note:**

So, the plot thickens...

Yes, Alice is pushy, but that's who she is. If you knew your best friend was going to make what you thought was a huge mistake, would you let them when they told you to butt out, or would you have to say something to them? I think we know where Alice stands on this. Not saying it's right or wrong, it's just who she is...

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come.


	24. Date Night - Jacob Part 2

**Disclaimer: **Written under the derivative fan works act. All rights reserved to the original creator, Stephanie Meyer.

**Title: **More Than Human

**Rating**: **M** for graphic violence, for sexual situations, lemons, hot steamy angsty teenage lovin', underage drinking, smoking, drug use and overall bad behavior.

**Premise: **Bella is more than human. Renee makes the ultimate sacrifice to hide her with a father she never knew existed. Who can she trust when she finds more kids like her in Forks? Will they fight to help her or betray her to stay hidden? AU OOC ExB & JxB Lemons

**Alternate Universe:** Mostly all human. No vampires. Enhanced humans with powers and The Shop is hunting them. Pretty much OOC, ExB of course, but some JxB for a twist.

**POV: **BPOV (Bella) for the most part. POV may shift depending on who is narrating the story in some chapters. Any guest Narrators will be noted. The Prologue is from Charlie's POV.

– – – –

**Author Notes:**

Please note that this story is **rated M** for a reason, if you'd prefer not to deal with mature themes, please do not read this story.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Chapter 24 Date Night - Jacob Part 2

"_Did you enjoy the movie?" Jacob asked._

"There was a movie? What was it about?" I asked, slightly sarcastically, playing off the fact that I didn't have the first clue what had happened besides totally making out with him.

"I really enjoyed it. Are you ready to go?" Jacob asked.

"Umm... sure. I need to go to the ladies room for a minute." I said.

"Sure, sure." Jacob said as he stood up and we gathered our things to leave.

Jacob held my jacket, and I took my purse and walked into the ladies room. I got lucky and there was an empty stall and I answered natures call, and then stepped up to the sink to wash my hands and fix my makeup.

Jessica stepped up to the sink next to me to fix her hair, and then took out her lipstick to reapply.

"So, that looked fun," Jessica said. "Are you going straight home? It's still early yet..."

"My curfew is at twelve." I said, not answering her question directly. I didn't know what Jacob had planned, but I doubted I'd be home early. "I noticed you didn't see much of the movie either. So you and Mike got back together. Did he get what he wanted? I know what he expected as his price to get back together with you."

"That's none of your business..." Jessica said.

"Then why is what I'm doing with Jacob any of your business?" Two could play at this game.

Jessica shrugged. "Fine, Mike and I aren't going straight home either. He's content with our relationship now..."

"So, did you?"

"Umm... Not yet..."

"But you stepped up your game, and he expects that you will. Soon in fact."

"Maybe... Jacob's going to expect the same thing, Bella, if it hasn't already happened . That's what happens with every girl he dates."

I shrugged. "He'll stop if I tell him no..."

Jessica chuckled "Girls who date him don't say no. They don't want to say no until they wake up the next day thinking, 'what the fuck happened'. You'll find out."

"What, are you saying he drugs them or something? Jacob doesn't seem like that kind of guy."

"Nobody's ever proved anything. Nobody's ever tested positive for any drugs besides some pot or alcohol. All of them totally wanted to be with him. You don't seem to mind being with him. You're totally into him. If it's what you want, then go for it, but if you wake up tomorrow saying 'what the fuck happened. Why did I do that?' Don't say I didn't tell you so."

"Fine. I'll see you on Monday, Jess." I said as I put away my things and walked to the door. "And nothings going to happen."

"Sounds like famous last words to me." Jessica shot back at me as I walked out the door and it closed behind me.

Jacob was waiting in the lobby and helped me into my coat before we walked out of the movie theater. I was quiet as we walked back to the truck and got in to drive back to Forks. Jacob pulled out of the parking lot and we didn't talk as he drove through town and got back on the highway headed to Forks.

"You seem quiet," Jacob said as we drove through the forest. "Are you having fun tonight?"

"Yeah... It's been fun."

"So what's wrong?"

I shrugged. "I wasn't expecting to see Jessica at the movie."

"So you're bummed out by what she said to you? Are you ashamed to be seen with me, Bella?"

"No! I totally want to be with you. This has been great..."

"So what's wrong?"

"Jessica is going to totally blow this out of proportion. She's going to tell everyone that I'm cheating on Edward, but Edward's not my boyfriend."

"So if you want to be with me, stop seeing him, and just date me. You can be my girlfriend..."

"I'm not ready to make any commitments, Jacob. With anyone. This is nice, but I'm going out with Edward tomorrow night. I'm not going to break my date with him."

"You were totally into me at the movie. Things would have gone further last Sunday if Charlie hadn't come home. You totally want to be with me. I don't see how you can want to date Edward too..."

"I just do, Jacob, ok? If you're not cool with that, then don't ask me out again. I'll go out with you if you ask me. I'll go out with Edward if he asks me. I'm not ready to say no to either of you yet. I like both of you and I'm not lying to either of you. You know the score and I'm not going behind your back because I haven't made any commitments to either of you ."

"I'm not ready to take you home yet..."

I didn't think he'd been planning to take me home. Now I knew it. "So, when we talked before, you said you weren't that experienced... That's not what Jessica told me..."

Jacob shrugged. "Jessica likes to gossip and spread rumors."

"So have you dated a lot of different girls?"

"Not a lot. A few different girls, and none of them for very long."

"So, what did you do with these girls?"

"We dated. You know, we hung out, we went to the beach and surfed, we went to the movies. I kissed them, they kissed me. Dating stuff."

"That's all?"

"What are you trying to find out, Bella? If you have a question, just ask me, ok?"

"OK... So, these girls you dated, did you have sex with them?"

"Some of them, yeah..."

"Some of them?!" I asked, shocked. "How many?!"

"I don't kiss and tell, Bella. I'm not asking for your history. I'm clean if that's what you're worried about. I always used a condom and none of them got in trouble..."

"Oh my god! So, Sunday at my house... If Charlie hadn't come home... I'd just be another notch on your bedpost, a check mark in your little black book?"

"No! I mean yes, we would have... You were totally into it! I wasn't forcing you to do anything!

"I don't care what lies Jessica told you, I've never forced anyone to do anything she didn't want to. It's not my fault that they woke up the next day and had second thoughts and tried to say I did something they didn't want.

"If I ask a girl and she says yes, how am I in the wrong if she changes her mind the next morning? She said yes when we were together."

"Umm... Ok, I get that. If she says yes, then she can't very well go back and change her mind after the fact."

"Thank you! You would not believe how many people don't get that!"

"Yeah... Things just seem to get out of hand in the heat of the moment, Jake. I could see how things could go too far without really meaning to..."

"Not you too!"

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just saying, things went farther than I expected before, even if I was totally cool with it in the heat of the moment. I know I would have regretted it after..."

"I'm totally into you, Bella. I don't want you to regret anything we do."

"Fine, well just so you know, my brain has a way of disconnecting from the rest of my body when I'm kissing you."

"Really? That's a good thing, right?" Jacob asked with a total smirk on his face like I was totally stroking his ego.

"So far it's been very good."

"So you're ok with this, right? You're into everything that's happened?"

"Yeah... Let me just say something to make this perfectly clear though. I'm not ready to have sex with you, Jacob, no matter how into it I seem to be in the heat of the moment.

"For the official record, I'm saying no. I don't care what I might say when we're making out and you're kissing me. I might say yes then, but my official answer is still no. That's what my answer is going to be the next morning when I wake up, after the fact and it's my answer before anything starts. Unless we're having a rational conversation like this and I tell you different and and say yes when we discuss it and we're talking like this, you know my answer, ok?."

"Fine, so do you want me to take you home now?"

"No. I just wanted to clear the air. I don't mind going on a date with you. Everything that we've done has been great. I just want you to be perfectly clear where we draw the line so we're both still ok with it after the fact."

"Ok. So you were cool with everything that happened on Sunday, right?"

"Yeah..."

"You're just not ready to go all the way, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Ok, just so we're perfectly clear, just how far am I allowed to go? What are you cool with? I guess we should discuss this while we're having a rational conversation so I don't push your limits too far and do something to piss you off."

"You're not going to piss me off, Jacob. To be perfectly honest, I'm not very experienced. I've done more with you than any other guy I've ever been with. I know I'm not ready for sex. I don't know what else I'm ready to do yet because I've never done any of it."

"So as long as we don't have sex, you're willing to play and experiment?"

"Umm... as long as it isn't gross... I'm cool with kissing you... I haven't done much more."

"Ok, I can handle that. Don't worry, Bella. I'll take care of you."

"Umm... Ok..." I wasn't really sure what 'taking care of me' meant, but I was curious to find out.

Jacob changed the subject then and we talked about the movie we'd seen. I was surprised he knew so much about the plot and the story. I certainly hadn't seen half the scenes he described. I was amazed he'd been paying so much attention. Then he told me he'd already seen it before with Quil and Embry, and I knew how he knew so much about It.

We talked about our schools and people we knew and classes we were taking. Jacob told me about his job and being a mechanic and jobs he'd done. I told him about going out with Alice and shopping trips we'd been on. It was probably boring for him and I couldn't tell him about the really cool places we'd been because I couldn't explain how we'd gotten there and back in the time available to us.

We were chatting away and talking and laughing as we drove down the highway. I didn't even notice when Jacob turned off the highway onto a paved road that led west into the forest.

I realized we weren't driving to Forks anymore when he turned off the paved road onto a gravel logging road. I knew we didn't drive over any gravel roads to go to Forks.

"Where are we going now?" I asked.

"A place I know. You said you weren't ready to go home yet. You're cool with this, right?"

"Sure... I'll be home before my curfew, right? I need to call Charlie if I'm going to be late, and I'll need a good excuse for why I'm late...

"Don't worry, you'll be home before you turn into a pumpkin."

I laughed. "Ok..."

I didn't say anything else and just watched where we were driving. The forest was completely black under the forest canopy, and only the road and a small patch of forest in front of us was illuminated by the headlights. The road behind us was swallowed up by the darkness, and I had absolutely no clue where we were or where we were going.

The gravel road turned into a bare dirt track through the forest, and I knew I'd never find this place on my own without Jacob or drive out here. Then Jacob just pulled over and stop. He shut off the motor, and I was expecting him to want to cuddle and pull me closer.

I was surprised when he opened his door, and said, "C'mon, we're here."

"Here where?" I asked, looking around. All I could see was the trackless black of the forest surrounding the truck.

Jacob chuckled. "C'mon, I'll show you."

He pushed his door open and got out. I assumed he wanted me to go with him. I opened my door and got out, and then Jacob unlatched the back of the seat in the truck and pulled out a blanket before he closed his door.

"Where are we going, Jacob? It's like forty degrees out here. You're not planning on spreading that blanket under the trees, are you?"

"No, c'mon, I'll show you."

Jacob put his arm around my waist, and then led me through the trees. I guess there was a path, but I couldn't see it in the black. I had no idea how Jacob could see it, because the forest was completely black to me.

"How do you even know where you're going?" I asked.

"You honestly can't see? My eyes already adjusted when we got out of the truck."

I guess there was a slight lightening of the darkness, but barely enough to tell one darkness from another. I stared ahead, maybe there was a solid shape in front of us?

Jacob stopped and I heard wood creak and the rub of wood on wood. It sounded like a door opened. Jacob was leading me forward. I heard the door close and we were inside someplace in the pitch black. Then he said, "Ok, wait right here for a second."

He let go of me, and I heard the scratch of his lighter. There was a flicker of light when the lighter sparked to life. Jacob was lighting a candle, and then lowered a glass flute over it in a hurricane lamp. The light illuminated the room, and we were in a rough wooden building with board walls nailed to exposed studs and a simple wooden door with a wooden latch to close the door. The roof was shallow pitched to a low peak and the open rafters were exposed over our heads.

Jacob knelt and lit a fire in a small stone hearth fireplace with a stone chimney built into the wall. I looked around. There was a rough wooden table with two wooden chairs, the stone hearth fireplace and a rough wooden bed with a simple bare mattress. There were no windows or other doors and the room was small. You could be anywhere in the cabin in three steps.

"What is this place? Where are we?"

"This is a hunting cabin I use sometimes to get out of the weather. It's off the beaten track and nobody will disturb us here."

"Nice. So, do you bring a lot of dates here? It's classy." I said sarcastically. It was simple but neat and clean and wasn't shabby or run down. It was well maintained and looked sturdy.

He shrugged. "We can leave if you want to go home. The place isn't important to me. It's all about the company you keep..."

He tossed the blanket on the bed and shrugged out of his leather jacket and hung it on the back of one of the chairs. I took the hint and laid my purse on the table and took off my jacket and hung it over the other chair.

"Ok, I get that... So... Why are we here?"

"Seriously? You have to ask?" Jacob reached for me, placing his hands on my hips and pulling me against his body.

"Umm... I have a pretty good idea..."

"You don't want to change your mind?"

"What... Change my mind …?" I asked, confused.

"Never mind..." Jacob leaned into me and his lips pressed to mine, effectively ending the conversation.

My arms wrapped around Jacob's neck, pulling him closer. It was a bit awkward for him bending over to kiss me because he was so much taller.

I felt his hand sweep down my leg as he crouched, and then his arm was behind my knees as he swept me off my feet into his arms. I held onto his neck even tighter, but he picked me up like I weighed nothing at all.

He turned and deposited me on the bed, and I let go of him as I reclined back on the mattress. I scooted over to make room for him, expecting him to join me.

Jacob sat on the side of the bed, and grabbed my leg, pulling my foot to him. He found the zipper on my boot and opened it, pulling my booty off, tossing it on the floor, and then pulling my sock off too.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "It's freezing in here." I said as he grabbed my other foot and took off my shoe and sock.

"That's what the blanket's for. Besides, it'll warm up in here now that the fires going. You'll be more comfortable like this."

"Ok..." I said, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over me. The fire was taking the chill off, and the cold didn't really bother me, but any other girl would have complained about cold feet.

Jacob reached down and took off his boots and socks, and then scooted onto the bed lying down beside me facing me.

"Come here, you," Jacob said, reaching for me, and pulling me against his body. I lifted the blanket so he could slide under it with me. His hand was on my hip, pulling my leg over his and his other hand moved into my hair, cradling my head as he pressed his lips to mine, kissing me hard.

His lips were parted and I could feel his tongue licking the line between my lips. My lips parted to allow him entry and his tongue was pushing into my mouth to swirl around mine.

The kiss was hot and passionate and incredible, and swept me away as I reveled in the electric feeling coursing through my body, tingling down my spine. I could feel his kisses as a full body experience from my lips as fireworks exploded in my brain all the way to the tingling in the tips of my toes to the goose bumps that prickled up and down my arms.

I never wanted it to end as his lips moved on mine and his tongue swirled around mine slippery and sweet and powerful as he explored my mouth.

His hands moved on my body, caressing me, stroking and squeezing and touching. I felt his hand slip under the hem of my sweater as his fingers traced up my spine and cupped my shoulder blades.

His hand moved to the center of my back, and I felt the clasp of my bra open with a deft pinch and twist. I felt I should say something and tell him to slow down, but we'd been this far last week.

I didn't complain as his hot hands pushed my sweater up my body, exposing my stomach to his touch, and then his hands were lifting the cups of my bra. His hands were on my chest and closed on my breasts, squeezing as my nipples pressed into the palms of his hands.

I gasped at the sensation as my nipples hardened and the peaks of my breasts crinkled as he pinched and rolled my nipples in his fingers.

"Lift your arms..." Jacob breathed against my ear.

I didn't argue. I leaned forward and lifted my arms, and then Jacob was pulling off my sweater and bra, letting it drop on the bed beside us.

I lay back against the mattress and Jacob sat up for a minute, reaching for the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it off, dropping it on the floor.

"You are so beautiful…" Jacob said as he lowered his body over me to cover mine.

My bare chest was pressed against his and my hard little nipples were boring into his chest, sending all kinds of incredible sensations coursing through me. Jacob's lips found mine and his tongue slipped back into my mouth.

His hand closed on my naked tit, squeezing me and playing with my nipple, and I moaned into his mouth from all the things he was doing to me and making me feel.

We were moving on the bed as we kissed and stroked and made out, caressing each other's bodies. My back was pressed into the mattress as Jacob moved over me. His hand reached for my knee, dragging my leg out from between us as Jacob settled between my legs.

My legs were splayed open, wrapped around his hips as my fingers knotted in his long silky hair, pulling his lips against mine. I could feel the hard bulge in his jeans pressing into my core, grinding against me, and it felt incredible.

My hips were bucking against him, trying to increase the friction I knew I needed, but just couldn't seem to get.

Jacob slipped lower kissing down the curve of my breast. His mouth closed on the peak of my breast. It was hot and wet and so incredibly better than just his hand. I could feel his teeth and his tongue rolled and teased my rock hard nipple.

His lips and tongue laved at my breast, suckling on my nipple and squeezing my tit. He spent time on first one, and then the other as he split his attention between the pair, loving first one and then switching his attention to the other.

It was too incredible for words as he focused on my chest. His thumb stroked over my nipples and his hot velvety tongue swirled around them, sending waves of pleasure straight to my core and making me even more desperate for friction and stimulation as I bucked my hips against his body.

I so needed to be touched down there and I was aching to reach my hand into my pants to do it myself. I knew I wasn't going to complain at all if Jacob tried to touch me.

Jacobs hands moved off my body while his lips and tongue kept up the pressure. I though he was going to grab me like he had last week, but he was supporting his weight for a couple of minutes as his lips and tongue worked over my nipples and breasts.

I was about to complain when his hand stroked across my flat stomach. Then it was on the waist band of my jeans and he pulled the tab of fabric popping the snap open.

His fingers were on the tab of the zipper, pulling it down, and he was opening my fly.

My jeans came loose on my hips, and I felt his big hot hands slip under the waist band of my jeans and under the elastic band of my panties. I could feel his hand cupping my naked ass cheek as he worked my pants down over my ass.

I lifted my ass to make it easier to work my jeans lower. His hand pushed into my underwear had pushed my pants down onto my thighs.

Jacob had my jeans and panties pulled down past the top of my thighs, I could feel his knuckles against the skin of pelvis below my waist. His hand was on the waist band tugging it lower.

Nobody was going to interrupt us this time. Jacob rolled aside under the blanket and pulled my pants down past my knees. He reached for the cuffs and pulled them off my feet, pushing them aside under the blanket. He was jostling around beside me for a minute before he got comfortable again, and then he was reaching for me.

I felt Jacob reach for my bare knees and push them apart as his body lowered over mine. His body pushed my back down into the mattress as his naked chest pressed against mine and my hard nipples bored into his chest. Jacob's lips found mine and his tongue slipped back into my mouth.

My legs were splayed wide open, wrapped around his hips as my heels hooked over his legs and my fingers knotted in his hair, pulling his lips against mine. I was expecting to feel the roughness of his jeans against my bare skin, but he felt silky smooth as we moved together on the bed making out.

My hands slid down his back to his waist, expecting to find the waist band of his jeans. My hands never found it, and then I was gripping Jacobs naked ass cheeks. I realized with a shock that his naked cock was pressed against my thigh. It felt huge and erect...

"Jacob! You're not wearing any pants!" I exclaimed, shocked and startled. I hadn't noticed him taking off his pants. Then I realized that's what he must have been doing when his hands weren't touching me...

"Neither are you. That's ok, Right? You let me take them off. You lifted your hips to make it easier for me..."

"I didn't know you were taking yours off too!"

"This is kind of nice, isn't it?" Jacob reached between us, his fingers stroking me, finding my clit.

I moaned at the sensation. It felt so good... I wanted more... I wanted him to keep doing it.

"Oh god... " I moaned as my hips bucked against him, trying to increase the friction.

"So, if I asked you right now if you wanted me to fuck you, what would you say?" Jacob asked

There was only one answer. "Yes, do it! Fuck me, Jacob!" My hips bucked against him again. His naked cock was right there. I could feel it touching me. It would take nothing to be inside me...

"That's what I thought you'd say... You don't really want it though..."

"What? No! I need you! I'm so close..."

"Maybe I'm a fool, but I know that's not what you really want, Bella."

"No...! Please..."

"We can still have some fun..."

"Ok... Please touch me... I'm so close, Jake..."

I felt Jacobs hand on my arm. His hand slid up to my wrist, pulling my arm between us. His fingers wrapped my hand around his cock, and then I was touching him.

His hand moved my hand on his cock and I was stroking him.

"Squeeze tighter, you aren't going to hurt me. Keep stroking my cock. You can use both hands if you like."

Jacob was poised on his knees above me as I wrapped my hands around his cock, stroking him with my hands.

His hand moved off of mine between our bodies. Then it was It was caressing my pelvis sliding lower…

I needed to feel him touch me so much...

He reached between my legs, and his big powerful hand closed on my naked crotch, cupping my sex and pressing his fingers into me.

He supported his weight with one hand and stroked me with the other while I used both hands to milk his hard cock. He leaned lower, pressing his chest to mine and his lips covered mine again. His tongue slipped back into my mouth as my stroking became more frantic.

I groaned loud and squeezed him harder as he stroked me, slipping his big strong fingers through the splayed lips of my open sex, rubbing me just right...

His hand was pressing into me now as his finger moved through my sex, stroking and caressing.

His fingertips touched my opening and dipped into my pussy. Then he was stroking higher and his fingertip found my clit.

I was panting hard as I jacked and pumped his hard cock while his finger rubbed and flipped my clit, teasing and caressing my most sensitive spot.

Suddenly I couldn't take any more and I knew I was there. My back arched off the bed and I couldn't breath. My whole body was shaking like I was being electrocuted and my mind went away as a wave of pure pleasure flashed through my body, radiating out from my sex.

My hands were still frantically pumping Jacob's cock as my clit throbbed and pulsed under his fingers pressed against my sex. My pussy clenched spasmodically, and I knew it would be even better with something filling it for my muscles to clench against.

Jacob was still was panting against my lips and I heard him grunt above me as I stroked him hard and fast. His hips flexed and his body suddenly went rigid as he reached his limit.

His cock throbbed and a wad of thick, milky white goo shot out of the slit in the head to splash against my stomach.

His cock pulsed again and again as more cum shot out of his cock to pool in my belly button and on my pelvis, running down around my sex between my legs to drip down the crack of my ass and pool beneath me on the mattress.

It was totally hot, but I was a gooey sticky mess between my girl juices and Jacob's hot sticky cum.

Jacob collapsed against my body, crushing me into the mattress as he panted against my shoulder and neck until his heartbeat slowed and he relaxed, then he was backing off, giving me some space. he sat back on his heels and reached under the bed for something.

He handed me a towel to use to wipe my hands and used another one to clean the sticky white cum off my belly and from between my legs. We cleaned each other and I wiped his softening cock and crotch. He did a pretty good job on me, but I still needed to take a shower. He wiped up what I was laying in, and then spread the towel beneath me so I wouldn't have to lie in the wet spot.

Jacob lay down beside me, pulling me into his arms, stroking my back, and then his lips found mine as he kissed me again. I enjoyed the soft languid kisses as the euphoria of the post orgasmic bliss flooded my brain and my mind. This was very nice and I could totally lay here like this all night, but I knew it had to end soon.

I broke the kiss and lay my head on Jacob's shoulder.

"Thank you..." I said.

"What are you thanking me for, Bella?"

"For doing what I told you to do."

"I'm an Idiot. I should have done what you told me to do..."

"You know what I mean. Thank you for not listening to me when I was being stupid and being ruled by my hormones. Thank you for being a nice guy and doing the right thing like I told you. I know I totally said yes in the heat of the moment. I really wanted you to just do it then, but I know I would have regretted it now."

"I can go again in a couple of minutes if you've changed your mind..."

"I'm not changing my mind tonight, Jacob. This was nice. It was enough for me. Was it good for you?"

"Yeah... It was enough..."

Jacob was silent for a few minutes. Then he spoke. "This is really what happened all those other times, isn't it? If I would have talked to the girl about it first like we did tonight, they probably would have said no too.

"They were all totally into it when we were making out. One thing led to another because they didn't tell me to stop. Hell, they didn't want me to stop. They would have been pissed if I shut them down and backed off.

"They said yes when I asked them. They said yes when I asked them to put the condom on me. They were actively participating.

"But so were you, and I knew you didn't really want to go there because we'd talked about it before...

"Why would you say yes if you didn't mean it?"

"I don't have an answer for that, Jake. I'm not just being fickle and changing my mind. I really like you. I like being here with you. I was totally ok with everything that happened. I just know I'm not ready to have sex with anyone yet. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it first..."

"Because Jessica told you about my history."

"It kind of threw up a red flag that something was up. We got pretty far last Sunday, and I know what would have happened if Charlie wouldn't have come home."

"Yeah, you'd totally be my girlfriend right now, and Masen would be history..."

"No, I'd be pissed off at you like all those other girls, while I lay crying in my room, wondering why I let you do that."

"Maybe... I'd never do anything to hurt you like that Bella. I just don't get the mixed signals. It's black and white in my book. Either you want it or you don't. It totally fucks with my head when these girls I date are so into me when it's happening, but then after, it's like it's the complete opposite. I just don't get it."

"When we were actually doing it..., it felt so good… There was no way I was going to say no. I was ready to beg for it, even though I knew I made sure you knew I really didn't want it before we got that far. When I'm with you... When I'm kissing you and you're touching me like that, it's like my brain disconnects and I'll do anything you want as long as you keep touching me and kissing me... It's like my hormones go into overdrive and I totally lose control. There's no possibility of saying no, Jake... It's like the word no doesn't even exist in my vocabulary...

"After I came and I started to think again, I realized what I'd said. It was like I could suddenly think again. After the heat of the moment passed, I was relieved that you were really a nice guy and did what you knew I wanted instead of what I'd said when my mind was kind of out of the game."

"This is a lot for me to think about. I never wanted to hurt anyone or do anything the girl I was with didn't want. I always ask. I don't just go for it. They told me yes and were totally into me...

"Now I know that maybe they were saying things they didn't really mean... I never wanted to hurt anyone, Bella... How can I possibly know what they really want if they're always going to say yes, even when they really don't want to?"

"Just make sure you talk first when you're both still thinking and find out what the girl you're with wants or expects before you're making out with her, and then stick to the plan. You can always do more next time if that's what she wants."

"Do you want more next time? Is there going to be a next time? There aren't going to be any other girls, Bella. I want this one."

"I'll go out with you again... I'm still going to go out with Edward tomorrow, Jacob. I'm cool with where we're at, but I'm not ready to have sex with anyone. I'm not going to be until I'm in a long term relationship with one guy. I'm not going to have casual sex with guys I'm dating."

"So what do you classify this as then? We did everything short of me sticking it in you, Bella. It would have been less messy and easier to clean up if I was wearing a condom..."

"So, heavy petting? Third base? Actually going all the way and doing it carries a ton more emotional baggage for me. That's a whole different level for me, even if you're wearing a condom... I'm cool with this, but this is about as far as i'm willing to go with anyone, Jake..."

"Most kids consider oral sex to be third base these days."

"Really? I always thought it was clothes off and touching below the waist."

"Most of the time if you're that far, there's kissing, licking and sucking involved down there too."

"Ok... Just so you know, I'm not ready to go there yet, either. I'm cool with this. Making out like this and touching like this, but that just seems gross to me."

"You won't really know until you try it..."

"That's something we can experiment with later on down the road then, but for now, no."

"Ok, I get it."

"What time is it? I still need to be home before midnight..."

"Yeah, it's getting late. I guess I should take you home so Charlie isn't pissed off at me."

"So, I'm guessing there isn't a shower here..."

"Sorry, nope. There's an outhouse out back if you need to go, but no running water. There's a stream down the hill with a pool big enough to wade in..."

"It's December and like forty degrees out! The water would be like ice! I'd freeze!"

"We could come back here and I'd warm you up..."

"Then I'd just need to wash again. Plus we'd be late."

"Sorry, It's less messy if I use a condom..."

"Couldn't we have used a condom for what we were doing?"

"Um, Hell No. If I'm going to fuck you, that's one thing, and I'll do the right thing, but if we're just making out and touching and feeling, I want your hands on my skin. Getting messy is half the fun. It washes off."

"Then you should take me someplace where I can wash it off."

"I'll remember that next time, but there wouldn't be anyplace to wash in the front seat of my truck or the back seat of your car. At least I took you someplace with a bed and a fireplace."

"I'm not knocking your cabin. This was cool, Jake. I had fun."

I sat up, and scooted to the edge of the bed. Jacob let me take the blanket and I wrapped it around myself as I stood up and stepped to the table and took my cell phone out of my purse and checked the time.

"How long will it take to drive to my house?" I asked as I looked back at Jacob.

He made no effort to cover himself and was lying naked on the mattress in all his glory. He was totally hot and his beautiful body glistened in the fire light with a slight sheen of sweat from our exertions. His muscles were cut and defined and his cock looked huge, even soft and dangling off his leg to drag against the mattress. It had felt huge in my hands, and I couldn't imagine how it could possibly fit inside me without splitting me in half. It scared me to even consider it.

"About a half hour." Jacob answered.

I nodded. We'd make it if we got dressed and left now. It was pointless to hide in the blanket. I wasn't cold and I needed to get dressed. The time for modesty was passed, Jacob had already seen and touched everything there was to see or touch. I folded the blanket over my arm and laid it on the bed.

"We better get dressed then," I said, turning away.

I had some moist towelettes in my purse that I carried for clean up situations. I'd never considered having to use them for this, but they were handy for makeup removal and feminine emergencies and a dozen other things. There were times when we were on the road when the only clean up facilities we had were a convenience store bathroom, and baby wipes were a total life saver.

I used some to clean up as best I could, and then collected my clothes to get dressed. Jacob didn't complain or try to get frisky again. He pulled on his clothes and was ready to go before I was. I hadn't seen what he did with my socks, and it took me a minute to find them both.

"Are you ready to go?" Jacob asked as I pulled my jacket back on.

"Sure. Do you need to put the fire out?" I asked.

It hadn't been big to begin with, and it wasn't actively burning anymore. It was just coals and embers giving off a dull orange glow now.

"It's safe to let it burn itself out." Jacob said as he reached for a metal screen and set it on the hearth in front of the fireplace. "It would cause a huge mess to try and put it out, and it would actually be more dangerous. The screen will stop any embers from flying out if one of the coals popped, but that isn't likely to happen now."

"Ok..."

I was standing by the door, and Jacob blew out the candle in the hurricane lamp. The room got dark, but the fire place still gave off enough light to see by. Jacob opened the door and a cold blast of December blew in. I shivered, despite the fact that the cold usually didn't affect me.

Jacob took my hand and led me back to the truck. It was totally black outside still, and I never would have found it on my own unless I made a light to see by, but Jacob opened my door for me and lifted me in. I could see inside the truck when the dome light flashed on, and then I found my seatbelt by touch when it went off.

I had no clue how Jacob made it back to the highway through the black forest night. I was totally lost and turned around, and it took me totally by surprise when he turned onto the highway.

I was amazed when we drove over the bridge into Forks, minutes later. If anyone would have asked, I would have said we were a million miles away from Forks, and I was completely shocked how close we were to town.

A few minutes later we were pulling up in front of Charlie's house. All the lights were still on, and I knew he was waiting up for me to come home.

"Thanks for dinner and the movie and everything, Jake..."

"It was fun. C'mon, I'll walk you up to the door," He said, shutting off the motor.

"Ok..." I said, taking off my seatbelt and opening the door to get out.

Jacob came around the truck to meet me as I was closing my door, and he took my hand to walk with me up onto the porch.

"I had a great time, Bella. When can we do this again?" Jacob asked.

"Call me, and we'll make plans, ok? If you can't call, drop by again, and we can hang out. I'm usually home in time to make dinner for Charlie..."

"Ok..." Jacob was leaning into me as I looked up into his eyes.

His lips touched mine and he was kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I stood on my tip toes, and pulled his lips against mine, kissing him back.

Jacobs hands were on my hips and then he was supporting my lower back. His lips parted, and I felt his tongue. I responded in kind, and then his tongue was slipping back into my mouth to swirl against mine.

I could feel reality slipping away this time as I went with it and melted against his body. I would have totally collapsed if his hands weren't holding me up and my arms weren't around his neck. I felt light and boneless and I wished we were back in the hunting shack in the woods and I wasn't wearing so many clothes.

I wasn't sure how long I stood there on the porch kissing him. It wasn't just a simple kiss goodnight, and if Charlie hadn't been there, I would have totally dragged him inside with me...

Reality intruded when I noticed the porch light turn off and back on. I knew Charlie knew I was home and he knew what I was doing.

Jacob broke the kiss because I was still too far gone to want to let him go, but he was still doing the right thing.

"This is what you were talking about before, isn't it. Your brain just turned off and I could have just kept kissing you..."

"Um... Yeah..." I said breathlessly as I stood there pressed against his huge warm muscular body, breathing in his incredible scent...

"You better go in, Bella, Before Charlie's out here with his shotgun to run me off..."

I chuckled as my head spun and I tried to find my balance. Jacob held me up until I could stand by myself.

"Goodnight, Jake... Call me." and then I was stepping away to reach for the door knob.

Jacob waited until I was safely inside the door before he left. I heard him walk down the steps to leave. I stepped away from the door to go upstairs when I heard his truck door close and the motor start.

"So, you had a good time?" Charlie asked. He was sitting in his easy chair in the living room. The TV was on, but I knew he'd been watching out the window.

"It was great. Dinner was good and I liked the movie."

"The movie ended a long time ago. What did you do for the rest of the night?" Charlie asked conversationally.

I knew I was blushing bright red. I wasn't going to tell him we made out and practically had sex. "Umm... We talked and I found out more about Jacob."

Charlie totally wasn't buying it, but he didn't press me for details. "That's nice. So you guys are more than friends now?"

"Umm... No... we're still friends..."

"You don't kiss a guy like that when you're just friends Bella. You're sending that boy signals, and he's going to expect things. He's going to want a relationship if you're lucky. Whatever he can get if he's lucky...

"So is he the one? What about Edward? Are you calling it quits with him?"

"I'm still going out with Edward tomorrow night..."

"And are the two of you 'going to talk' too?"

"I don't know... I haven't gone out with him yet..."

"You've been out with both of them more than once. You need to make up your mind before I have to arrest one of them..."

"That's not going to happen, Charlie..."

"This is going to get out of control if you think you can play with both of them like this, Bella."

"I'm not playing them... I honestly don't know what to do..."

"Yeah, and then it becomes my job to decide. Pick one and tell the other one it's over. It's that simple. You've got all the facts. I'm trying not to interfere, but this is going to turn ugly. Mark my words."

"Fine. I'm going to go take a shower and go to bed. Alice is coming to get me in the morning so we can go to the wrestling meet. Then I'm going to dinner with Edward tomorrow. Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine. I fed myself for a long time before you moved in, although you're a better cook than I'll ever be."

"Thanks, Charlie. I'll see you tomorrow night."

Charlie just nodded as I went up the stairs. "Good night, Bells. I'll probably be gone when you leave with Alice."

I knew he'd be fishing, and I went into my room to put my things away before I went to take my shower.

Charlie made it sound so simple... Just pick one and tell the other it was over... It was never that simple. He was right, this was going to get out of hand, but how was I possibly supposed to decide?

Jacob was so sweet and understanding... I knew he cared about me and he wanted me. He was carefree and wild and dangerous. If I had to run, I could see running with him... If he'd leave with me...

Edward was just perfect... He was always there and he always had the right answer. He would do anything for me and wanted to take care of me and make the world safe for me... He could probably do it too...

They were both so different and yet both so right... I knew I was falling in love with both of them.

It was like I'd asked Alice at the wrestling meet, if there were two of Jasper, which one would she tell to stay away? It was an impossible decision to make... Somebody was bound to get hurt before this was all said and done... I didn't want that either, but I didn't have the first clue how to figure this out.

Why did life have to be so complicated?

**Author's note:**

Decisions, decisions... It's always about the decisions we make...

This chapter was seriously toned down in multiple edits from where it actually started off in the original draft.

In case you're still wondering, no, Bella isn't just a stupid girl who's letting her hormones rule her and giving in to lust. There is a power at play here that neither Jacob nor Bella fully understand. It will be explained in later chapters.

Whether or not she would have still done everything she did if her head was fully in the game is open to conjecture.

Reviews are always appreciated. I'd love to hear what you think. I read all the reviews, although I don't necessarily reply to all of them. I usually answer questions as long as they don't give away too much of what's to come.


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